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• Harvest biofuel algae with microbubbles

  Futurity.org » University of Sheffield

  Shemina Davis-Sheffield

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:27 pm

  U. SHEFFIELD (UK) — Thanks to microbubble technology, harvesting algae for use as a biofuel could become easier and more affordable.The technique, developed at the University of Sheffield, builds on previous research in which microbubbles were used to improve the way algae is cultivated. Previously, there has been no cost-effective method of harvesting and removing the water from the algae for it to be processed effectively.

• When auditor fees jump, stocks tumble

  Futurity.org

  Karen Nikos-UC Davis

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:57 pm

  UC DAVIS (US) — Unexplained increases in a company’s auditor fees may foreshadow a future drop in stock prices, according to a new study.“A rise in audit fees acts to deliver a precursory message about trouble within the company,” says one of the study’s authors, Paul Griffin, a professor at the University of California, Davis.

• Medical sensor powered by rap music?

  Futurity.org » Health & Medicine

  Emil Venere-Purdue

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:14 pm

  PURDUE (US) — The driving bass rhythm of rap can be used to power a new miniature medical sensor designed to be implanted in the body.Acoustic waves from music, particularly rap, were found to effectively recharge the pressure sensor. Such a device might ultimately help to treat people stricken with aneurisms or incontinence due to paralysis.

• Monkey-brained robot ‘sees’ with whiskers

  Futurity.org » Science & Technology

  Paul Mannion-Sheffield

  26 Jan 2012 | 4:26 pm

  U. SHEFFIELD (UK) — Researchers have fitted a robotic rat with a monkey brain model in order to increase the machine’s perception.By fitting the monkey brain model into an existing robotic rat, which the University of Sheffield researchers had already developed, it was able to feel different textured surfaces, such as rough and smooth carpets, as it scuttled across them with its rat-like whiskers. As reported in the journal Interface, the machine also made better decisions with its whiskers than any previous method tested.

• When auditor fees jump, stocks tumble

  Futurity.org » Society & Culture

  Karen Nikos-UC Davis

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:57 pm

  UC DAVIS (US) — Unexplained increases in a company’s auditor fees may foreshadow a future drop in stock prices, according to a new study.“A rise in audit fees acts to deliver a precursory message about trouble within the company,” says one of the study’s authors, Paul Griffin, a professor at the University of California, Davis.

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  Futurity.org

• When auditor fees jump, stocks tumble

  Karen Nikos-UC Davis

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:57 pm

  UC DAVIS (US) — Unexplained increases in a company’s auditor fees may foreshadow a future drop in stock prices, according to a new study.“A rise in audit fees acts to deliver a precursory message about trouble within the company,” says one of the study’s authors, Paul Griffin, a professor at the University of California, Davis.

• Medical sensor powered by rap music?

  Emil Venere-Purdue

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:14 pm

  PURDUE (US) — The driving bass rhythm of rap can be used to power a new miniature medical sensor designed to be implanted in the body.Acoustic waves from music, particularly rap, were found to effectively recharge the pressure sensor. Such a device might ultimately help to treat people stricken with aneurisms or incontinence due to paralysis.

• How auto’s Big Three flunked Accounting 101

  Andy Henion-Michigan State

  27 Jan 2012 | 1:27 pm

  MICHIGAN STATE (US) — According to a new study, the Big Three automakers in the US overlooked basic accounting practices that could have guarded against long-term damage.The researchers identify a culture of emphasizing short-term gain over long-term brand stability at General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co., and Chrysler Group LLC.

• Immune suppressants may curb diabetes

  Helen Dodson-Yale

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:51 pm

  YALE (US) — A new study has uncovered how targeted suppression of the immune system may prevent type 1 diabetes or induce sustained remission.Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease—the immune system goes into overdrive and attacks the body’s normal cells instead of foreign invaders. In type 1 diabetes, the immune system targets and eventually destroys the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas, leading to increased levels of blood sugars.

• Gossip lowers stress, keeps cheats in check

  Yasmin Anwar-UC Berkeley

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:46 pm

  UC BERKELEY (US) — Gossip can have positive outcomes such as helping us police bad behavior, prevent exploitation, and lower stress, say researchers.“Gossip gets a bad rap, but we’re finding evidence that it plays a critical role in the maintenance of social order,” says University of California, Berkeley social psychologist Robb Willer, a coauthor of a study published in this month’s online issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

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  Futurity.org » Earth & Environment

• Harvest biofuel algae with microbubbles

  Shemina Davis-Sheffield

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:27 pm

  U. SHEFFIELD (UK) — Thanks to microbubble technology, harvesting algae for use as a biofuel could become easier and more affordable.The technique, developed at the University of Sheffield, builds on previous research in which microbubbles were used to improve the way algae is cultivated. Previously, there has been no cost-effective method of harvesting and removing the water from the algae for it to be processed effectively.

• Restored wetlands may never recover

  Robert Sanders-UC Berkeley

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:30 am

  UC BERKELEY (US) — Even after a century of restoration efforts, some wetlands are never able to return to their original natural state.“Once you degrade a wetland, it doesn’t recover its normal assemblage of plants or its rich stores of organic soil  carbon, which both affect natural cycles of water and  nutrients, for many years,” says David Moreno-Mateos, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. “Even after 100 years, the restored wetland is still different from what was there before, and it may never recover.”

• Better crops from the roots up

  Emma Thorne-Nottingham

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:17 am

  U. NOTTINGHAM (UK) — By altering root growth, scientists believe they are a step closer to breeding hardier crops that are more adaptable to environmental conditions and better able to fend off parasites.Plant root biology is essential for healthy plant growth and, while the so-called hidden half of the plant has often been overlooked, its importance is becoming increasingly recognized by scientists.

• Lower emissions, less money, long life?

  Richard Ashby-Leeds

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:12 am

  U. LEEDS (UK) — Countries with high incomes and high carbon emissions do not achieve higher life expectancies than those with moderate incomes and lower carbon emissions, a new study finds.The finding challenges the assumption that human well-being requires growth in both economic activity and carbon emissions.

• Ocean sensors gauge pH on global scale

  Gail Gallessich-UC Santa Barbara

  24 Jan 2012 | 3:16 pm

  UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — A team of researchers has reported results from the broadest worldwide study of ocean acidification—or pH level—to date.Acidification is known to be a direct result of the increasing amount of greenhouse gas emissions. The University of California, Santa Barbara, scientists used sensors to measure the acidity of 15 ocean locations, including seawater in the Antarctic and in temperate and tropical waters.

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  Futurity.org » Health & Medicine

• Medical sensor powered by rap music?

  Emil Venere-Purdue

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:14 pm

  PURDUE (US) — The driving bass rhythm of rap can be used to power a new miniature medical sensor designed to be implanted in the body.Acoustic waves from music, particularly rap, were found to effectively recharge the pressure sensor. Such a device might ultimately help to treat people stricken with aneurisms or incontinence due to paralysis.

• Immune suppressants may curb diabetes

  Helen Dodson-Yale

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:51 pm

  YALE (US) — A new study has uncovered how targeted suppression of the immune system may prevent type 1 diabetes or induce sustained remission.Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease—the immune system goes into overdrive and attacks the body’s normal cells instead of foreign invaders. In type 1 diabetes, the immune system targets and eventually destroys the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas, leading to increased levels of blood sugars.

• Years after Katrina, minds slow to recover

  Morgan Kelly-Princeton

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:38 am

  PRINCETON (US) — Survivors of Hurricane Katrina have struggled with poor mental health for years, according to a new study of low-income mothers in the New Orleans area.The researchers were able to collect data on the participants before Katrina and nearly five years after the August 2005 storm, finding a persistence of poor mental health and gaining insights into how different types of hurricane-related stressors affect mental health.

• Calculation may lowball heart attack risk

  Marla Paul-Northwestern

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:48 am

  NORTHWESTERN (US) — Men and women may have a false sense of security about their chances of having a heart attack or stroke based on the current practice of calculating a patient’s risk 10 years into the future.As reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, the research shows a young or middle-aged adult who is at low risk in the short term may be at very high risk in the long term—if he or she has just one or two risk factors such as higher than optimal cholesterol or blood pressure levels.

• Cell’s mechanical changes nudge cancer

  Tim Green-U. Texas

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:22 am

  U. TEXAS-AUSTIN (US) — Mechanical property changes in cells may be responsible for the progression of cancer—a discovery that could pave the way for new ways to predict, treat, and prevent the disease.To present a unique physics-based perspective, researchers devised a 3-D cancer model that shows that softening of cells and changes in cell binding cause cancerous behavior. These mechanical property changes cause cells to divide uncontrollably—making them less likely to die and resulting in malignant tumor growth.

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  Futurity.org » Science & Technology

• Monkey-brained robot ‘sees’ with whiskers

  Paul Mannion-Sheffield

  26 Jan 2012 | 4:26 pm

  U. SHEFFIELD (UK) — Researchers have fitted a robotic rat with a monkey brain model in order to increase the machine’s perception.By fitting the monkey brain model into an existing robotic rat, which the University of Sheffield researchers had already developed, it was able to feel different textured surfaces, such as rough and smooth carpets, as it scuttled across them with its rat-like whiskers. As reported in the journal Interface, the machine also made better decisions with its whiskers than any previous method tested.

• 33,000-year-old teeth from domesticated dog

  Shelley Littin-Arizona

  26 Jan 2012 | 4:06 pm

  U. ARIZONA (US) — An ancient dog skull, preserved in a cave in the Altai Mountains of Siberia for 33,000 years, presents some of the oldest known evidence of dog domestication, say researchers.Together with equally ancient dog remains from a cave in Belgium, the finding indicates domestication of dogs may have occurred repeatedly in different geographic locations rather than with a single domestication event.

• Rigid feathers suggest dinosaur could fly

  Richard Lewis-Brown

  25 Jan 2012 | 12:15 pm

  BROWN (US) — Researchers say the winged dinosaurs Archaeopteryx had rigid black feathers, a finding that suggests that they could fly.Since its discovery 150 years ago, scientists have puzzled over whether the raven-sized Archaeopteryx represents the missing link in birds’ evolution to powered flight. Much of the debate has focused on the creature’s wings and the mystery of whether—and how well—it could fly.

• Replica of Trojan asteroids fits in single atom

  Jade Boyd-Rice

  25 Jan 2012 | 11:43 am

  RICE (US) — Physicists have built an accurate model of part of the solar system inside a single atom of potassium.In a paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters, the Rice University team showed they could cause an electron in an atom to orbit the nucleus in precisely the same way that Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids orbit the sun.

• Battery drain may influence app design

  Daniel Oppenheimer-U. Texas

  24 Jan 2012 | 3:47 pm

  U. TEXAS-AUSTIN (US) — The first systematic power profiles of microprocessors could help lower the energy consumption of small and large devices, say researchers.The results may point the way to how companies like Google, Apple, Intel, and Microsoft can make software and hardware that will lower the energy costs of very small and very large devices.

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  Futurity.org » Society & Culture

• When auditor fees jump, stocks tumble

  Karen Nikos-UC Davis

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:57 pm

  UC DAVIS (US) — Unexplained increases in a company’s auditor fees may foreshadow a future drop in stock prices, according to a new study.“A rise in audit fees acts to deliver a precursory message about trouble within the company,” says one of the study’s authors, Paul Griffin, a professor at the University of California, Davis.

• How auto’s Big Three flunked Accounting 101

  Andy Henion-Michigan State

  27 Jan 2012 | 1:27 pm

  MICHIGAN STATE (US) — According to a new study, the Big Three automakers in the US overlooked basic accounting practices that could have guarded against long-term damage.The researchers identify a culture of emphasizing short-term gain over long-term brand stability at General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co., and Chrysler Group LLC.

• Gossip lowers stress, keeps cheats in check

  Yasmin Anwar-UC Berkeley

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:46 pm

  UC BERKELEY (US) — Gossip can have positive outcomes such as helping us police bad behavior, prevent exploitation, and lower stress, say researchers.“Gossip gets a bad rap, but we’re finding evidence that it plays a critical role in the maintenance of social order,” says University of California, Berkeley social psychologist Robb Willer, a coauthor of a study published in this month’s online issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

• Prejudice sparks anger in men, fear in women

  Andy Henion-Michigan State

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:18 am

  MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Group conflict over the ages may have helped shape the way men and women respond to prejudice.A new study finds prejudice is linked to aggression for men and fear for women, responses also seen in humans’ closest relative, the chimpanzee.

• For science’s sake, touch the art

  Dennis O'Shea-JHU

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:44 am

  JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — Visitors to a new exhibition get to break the cardinal rule of museum-going: Please don’t touch.A curator and a scientist—both exploring the question of what feels beautiful—want art lovers to hold and touch some of the pieces in the exhibit Touch and the Enjoyment of Sculpture: Exploring the Appeal of Renaissance Statuettes.

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  Futurity.org » Brown University

• Rigid feathers suggest dinosaur could fly

  Richard Lewis-Brown

  25 Jan 2012 | 12:15 pm

  BROWN (US) — Researchers say the winged dinosaurs Archaeopteryx had rigid black feathers, a finding that suggests that they could fly.Since its discovery 150 years ago, scientists have puzzled over whether the raven-sized Archaeopteryx represents the missing link in birds’ evolution to powered flight. Much of the debate has focused on the creature’s wings and the mystery of whether—and how well—it could fly.

• High-risk adults don’t get Hepatitis B vaccine

  David Orenstein-Brown

  20 Jan 2012 | 10:41 am

  BROWN (US) — More than half of adults at the highest risk for hepatitis B remain unvaccinated—one reason that tens of thousands of people still contract the virus every year.Although there is an effective vaccine for the infectious liver disease, a new study published online in the journal Infection finds that in a nationally representative sample of high-risk adults, 51.4 percent said they were unvaccinated. More than half of them had the potential to receive the vaccine based on their reported contact with health care providers.

• Diabetes: Device checks saliva, not blood

  Richard Lewis-Brown

  20 Jan 2012 | 9:14 am

  BROWN (US) — A new technique to measure glucose in saliva could eliminate the need for diabetics to draw blood to check blood sugar levels.The biochip developed by engineers at Brown University uses plasmonic interferometers and could be employed to measure a range of biological and environmental substances.

• Gym benefits draw healthy seniors to Medicare

  David Orenstein-Brown

  17 Jan 2012 | 10:40 am

  BROWN (US) — Medicare plans aren’t allowed to exclude unhealthy—and costly—seniors, but some plans get around the restriction by offering gym memberships to draw in healthier—and more profitable—members.“Offering a fitness membership does not mean that you are denying people coverage, but you are changing your benefits to appeal selectively to people who are healthy,” says co-author Amal Trivedi, a public health professor at Brown University.

• Chemical in cosmetics stalls tadpole brain

  David Orenstein-Brown

  11 Jan 2012 | 8:47 am

  BROWN (US) — Even very low concentrations of a chemical commonly used in cosmetics hinders brain development in tadpoles, new research shows.In the cosmetics industry, the biocide methylisothiazolinone, or MIT, is considered safe at concentrations of less than 100 parts per million. Lab studies, however, have found that lower concentrations affect the growth of animal neurons.

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  Futurity.org » California Institute of Technology

• Tiny planet triplets orbit dwarf star

  Deborah Williams-Hedges-Caltech

  13 Jan 2012 | 10:55 am

  CALTECH (US) — Astronomers have discovered the three smallest confirmed planets ever detected outside our solar system.The trio of new planets that are smaller than Earth and appear rocky, orbit a single star too closely to be in its habitable zone—the ring-shaped region around a star where the temperature is mild enough for liquid water, and possibly life, to exist.

• Computer model explains Titan mystery

  Marcus Woo-Caltech

  5 Jan 2012 | 10:17 am

  CALTECH (US) — A new computer model may explain the mysterious polar lakes, rainstorms, and clouds on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.With an average surface temperature of -300 degrees Fahrenheit (about 90 kelvins) and a diameter just less than half of Earth’s, Titan boasts methane clouds and fog, as well as rainstorms and plentiful lakes of liquid methane. It’s the only place in the solar system, other than Earth, that has large bodies of liquid on its surface.

• ‘Pseudogap’ fuels superconductor feats

  Sonia Chernobieff-Caltech

  3 Jan 2012 | 11:34 am

  CALTECH (US) — New research on how copper oxides conduct electricity at higher temperatures may lead to cheaper superconductors.It has been 25 years since scientists discovered the first high-temperature superconductors—copper oxides, or cuprates, that conduct electricity without a shred of resistance at temperatures much higher than other superconducting metals. Yet no one has managed to explain why these cuprates are able to superconduct at all.

• Shearing forces yield stringy surprise

  Steve Koppes-Chicago

  3 Jan 2012 | 10:41 am

  U. CHICAGO / CORNELL (US) — Microscopic spheres form strings in surprising alignments when suspended in a viscous fluid and sheared between two plates, say researchers.The findings will affect the way scientists think about the properties of such wide-ranging substances as shampoo and futuristic computer chips.

• Details of Earth’s core ‘ironed’ out

  Katie Neith-Caltech

  27 Dec 2011 | 9:28 am

  CALTECH (US) — Researchers have zeroed in on the behavior of iron—a key component of the Earth’s core—by conducting high-pressure experiments to simulate conditions at the planet’s interior.While it has been known for many years that iron is the main element in the core, many questions have remained about just how iron behaves under the conditions found deep in the earth.

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  Futurity.org » Cardiff University

• Seen for first time: T-cells knock out insulin

  Christopher Jones-Cardiff

  16 Jan 2012 | 10:41 am

  CARDIFF (UK) — T-cells in the human body, which help protect us from disease, can inadvertently destroy cells that produce insulin, new research shows.Published in the journal Nature Immunology, the study may clarify the role of T-cells in the development of Type 1 diabetes.

• Egg’s wiggle may predict IVF success

  Chris Jones-Cardiff

  5 Jan 2012 | 12:13 pm

  CARDIFF (UK) — A new technique successfully used in mice to identify embryos likely to result in a successful pregnancy could be used in humans, according to scientists.The discovery by scientists at Cardiff University could potentially boost in vitro fertilization (IVF) success rates and help to reduce the number of multiple births.

• Schizophrenia pops up in memory genes

  Chris Jones-Cardiff

  22 Nov 2011 | 7:51 am

  CARDIFF (US) — Genetic mutations that cause schizophrenia could be linked to systems in the brain responsible for learning and memory, a study suggests.Researchers have identified changes to genes—genetic mutations—in patients with schizophrenia who had not inherited the condition.

• High IQ in girls tied to adult drug use

  Christopher Jones-Cardiff

  22 Nov 2011 | 5:50 am

  CARDIFF U. (UK) — Girls with high childhood IQs are more than twice as likely to take illegal drugs in their 30s, a new study shows.Researchers examined data from just under 8,000 people in the 1970 British Cohort Study, a large ongoing population-based study, which looks at lifetime drug use, socioeconomic factors, and educational attainment.

• Brain feedback may ease Parkinson’s

  Chris Jones-Cardiff

  10 Nov 2011 | 12:52 pm

  CARDIFF (UK) — People experiencing the early signs of Parkinson’s disease could see their symptoms improved through a process of regulating and re-training how their brains respond to certain activities and actions.Experts from Cardiff University report in a paper published in the Journal of Neuroscience using real-time brain imaging to identify how people with Parkinson’s disease react to their own brain responses.

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  Futurity.org » Carnegie Mellon University

• Common metal wipes out deadly toxin

  Jocelyn Duffy-Carnegie Mellon

  23 Jan 2012 | 9:37 am

  CARNEGIE MELLON (US) — An element commonly found in nature might be a way to neutralize the potentially lethal effects of a compound known as Shiga toxin..Published in the journal Science a new study shows how manganese completely protects against Shiga toxicosis in animal models. Produced by certain bacteria, including Shigella and some strains of E. coli, Shiga toxin can cause symptoms ranging from mild intestinal disease to kidney failure.

• Jump or not jump: Why we chicken out

  Shilo Rea-Carnegie Mellon

  18 Jan 2012 | 4:08 pm

  CARNEGIE MELLON (US) — Whether it’s investing in stocks, bungee jumping, or speaking in public, why do we often plan to take risks but then back down when the moment of truth arrives? This “illusion of courage” is one example of an “empathy gap”—that is, our inability to imagine how we will behave in future emotional situations, argue researchers in a new paper in the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making.

• Tool shows ‘handedness’ of gold nanoparticles

  Jocelyn Duffy-Carnegie Mellon

  21 Dec 2011 | 1:19 pm

  CARNEGIE MELLON (US) — Researchers have successfully used simple nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to analyze the ‘handedness,’ or chirality, of gold nanoparticles.The breakthrough could advance the use of the tiny particles in drug development.

• Early black holes gorged on ‘fast food’

  Jocelyn Duffy-Carnegie Mellon

  19 Dec 2011 | 12:47 pm

  CARNEGIE MELLON (US) — The largest cosmological simulation ever conducted shows that a steady diet of cold dense gas caused the rapid growth of the early supermassive black holes.The research published in Astrophysical Journal Letters shows that thin streams of cold gas flowing uncontrolled into the center of the first black holes caused them to grow faster than anything else in the universe.

• Tap sensor takes touch to the next level

  Byron Spice-Carnegie Mellon

  24 Oct 2011 | 5:21 am

  CARNEGIE MELLON (US) — A touchscreen sensor uses sound to distinguish between the tap of a fingertip, finger pad, fingernail, and knuckle.By taking greater advantage of the finger’s anatomy and dexterity, TapSense could change the way smartphone and tablet computer owners control their touchscreens.

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  Futurity.org » Cornell University

• Jump or not jump: Why we chicken out

  Shilo Rea-Carnegie Mellon

  18 Jan 2012 | 4:08 pm

  CARNEGIE MELLON (US) — Whether it’s investing in stocks, bungee jumping, or speaking in public, why do we often plan to take risks but then back down when the moment of truth arrives? This “illusion of courage” is one example of an “empathy gap”—that is, our inability to imagine how we will behave in future emotional situations, argue researchers in a new paper in the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making.

• Bitter orange trees taste yucky to bugs

  John Carberry-Cornell

  18 Jan 2012 | 10:08 am

  CORNELL (US) — Orange trees engineered to leave a bitter taste in the mouths of bugs may protect Florida’s $9 billion citrus industry from a deadly bacterial disease.Scientists engineered the trees to provide a natural resistance to the Asian citrus phyllid, the insect responsible for spreading the deadly bacterial disease huanglongbing—also known as citrus greening because it causes perpetually immature green fruit that tastes bitter, medicinal, and sour.

• Glider fleet to track fish in real time

  Stacey Shackford-Cornell

  16 Jan 2012 | 9:19 am

  CORNELL (US) — A flotilla of solar-powered ocean gliders that can travel up to 12 miles a day may make it possible for scientists to track ocean changes as they happen. The Wave Gliders are expected to improve and greatly reduce the costs of fish and marine mammal surveys, which currently depend on manned research vessels.

• Tiny planet triplets orbit dwarf star

  Deborah Williams-Hedges-Caltech

  13 Jan 2012 | 10:55 am

  CALTECH (US) — Astronomers have discovered the three smallest confirmed planets ever detected outside our solar system.The trio of new planets that are smaller than Earth and appear rocky, orbit a single star too closely to be in its habitable zone—the ring-shaped region around a star where the temperature is mild enough for liquid water, and possibly life, to exist.

• Kids got broccoli blues? Add more color

  Susan Lang-Cornell

  11 Jan 2012 | 8:48 am

  CORNELL (US) — Parents of picky eaters take note: Children are most attracted to plates that have a wide variety of foods and colors.For a new study, published in the journal Acta Paediatrica, researchers presented 23 preteen children and 46 adults with full-size photos of 48 different combinations of food on plates that varied by number of items, placement of entrée, and organization of the food.

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  Futurity.org » Duke University

• By stopping misfolds, genes keep us healthy

  Megan Fellman-Northwestern

  10 Jan 2012 | 10:24 am

  NORTHWESTERN (US) — Researchers have identified a set of genes that prevent protein misfolding, a condition linked to a range of disorders, including Alzheimer’s and cancer.To do its job within the cell, a protein must first fold itself into the proper shape. If it doesn’t, trouble can result—more than 300 diseases have at their root proteins that misfold, aggregate, and eventually cause cellular dysfunction and death.

• To cut holiday debt, sort interest rates

  Neil Schoenherr-WUSTL

  5 Jan 2012 | 9:26 am

  WASHINGTON U.-ST.LOUIS (US) — What’s the best way to tackle holiday debt? Pay down the loan with the highest interest rate first, a new study finds.Consumers, however, often take a slightly different approach, according to a consumer behavior expert at Washington University in St. Louis.

• Top 10 stories of 2011

  Futurity-Jenny Leonard

  29 Dec 2011 | 3:28 pm

  FUTURITY — From sex appeal to fish oil to ancient buckles, here’s a look back at some of the top research news of 2011. 4-D coming to a universe near you? First sex boosts guys’ body image Future of hard drives: uranium? Paralyzed man’s mind moves prosthetic arm Sex appeal: Women kiss science goodbye How much fish oil is too much? Alaskan dig turns up ancient ‘buckle’ Why we quit when others succeed Aging musicians have sharp brains Wanted: Gender-free job ads

• Scarier weapons get the (spider) girl

  Karl Bates-Duke

  15 Dec 2011 | 7:43 am

  DUKE (US) — The bigger a male jumping spider’s weapons appear to be, the more likely his rival will slink away without a fight, leaving the bigger guy a clear path to the waiting female.Duke University graduate student Cynthia Tedore, working with her dissertation advisor, visual ecologist Sönke Johnsen, wanted to know what visual signals matter most to magnolia green jumping spiders, which have an impressive array of eyes, including two giant green ones that face forward. Vision is clearly important to these quarter-inch animals, which Tedore says can be “very predaceous and…

• Warm-up drives tropical birds to new heights

  Tim Lucas-Duke

  13 Dec 2011 | 9:55 am

  DUKE (US) — Tropical birds are moving to higher elevations because of climate change, but they may not be moving fast enough.A new study by researchers at Duke University shows the birds aren’t migrating as rapidly as scientists previously anticipated, based on recorded temperature increases.

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  Futurity.org » Emory University

• When the brain refuses to take the cash

  Carol Clark-Emory

  24 Jan 2012 | 10:23 am

  EMORY (US) — Brain images show personal values that people refuse to disavow—even when offered cash to do so—are processed differently than values that are willingly sold.“Our experiment found that the realm of the sacred—whether it’s a strong religious belief, a national identity or a code of ethics—is a distinct cognitive process,” says Gregory Berns, director of the Center for Neuropolicy at Emory University and lead author of the study published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.

• Top 10 stories of 2011

  Futurity-Jenny Leonard

  29 Dec 2011 | 3:28 pm

  FUTURITY — From sex appeal to fish oil to ancient buckles, here’s a look back at some of the top research news of 2011. 4-D coming to a universe near you? First sex boosts guys’ body image Future of hard drives: uranium? Paralyzed man’s mind moves prosthetic arm Sex appeal: Women kiss science goodbye How much fish oil is too much? Alaskan dig turns up ancient ‘buckle’ Why we quit when others succeed Aging musicians have sharp brains Wanted: Gender-free job ads

• Syphilis origins point to Columbus

  Carol Clark-Emory

  22 Dec 2011 | 2:25 pm

  EMORY (US) — New analysis of skeletal evidence suggests Christopher Columbus returned to Europe with unpleasant cargo: the bacteria that evolved into syphilis.Skeletons don’t lie. But sometimes they may mislead, as in the case of bones that reputedly showed evidence of syphilis in Europe and other parts of the Old World before Christopher Columbus made his historic voyage in 1492.

• Strokes diagnosed via iPhone FaceTime

  Juliette Merchant-Emory

  19 Dec 2011 | 10:18 am

  EMORY (US) — Using two-way video on the iPhone 4 could help doctors assess the severity of a patient’s stroke symptoms, according to a new study.“This is the first study to demonstrate reliable stroke assessment using the iPhone 4,” says Eric R. Anderson, a neurology resident at Emory University.

• Education tied to better cancer outcomes

  Beverly Clark-Emory

  19 Dec 2011 | 10:16 am

  EMORY (US) — The first large study in the United States to examine mortality rates of patients with mouth and throat cancers by educational levels find the greatest decreases among those with at least 12 years of education.Amy Chen, professor of otolaryngology–head & neck cancer at Emory University, and colleagues examined death rates of patients with oral cavity (mouth) and pharyngeal (throat) cancer in 26 states between 1993-2007 and compared the level of education among those patients.

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  Futurity.org » Indiana University

• Some chilies trade heat for hardiness

  Vince Stricherz-UW

  16 Jan 2012 | 11:10 am

  U. WASHINGTON (US) — Wild chilies that grow in wet regions turn up the heat as a defense mechanism against a fungus that if left alone could destroy their seeds.The finding helps explain why some chilies are hot and some are not.

• Alcoholic mice live to drink

  Cindy Fox Aisen-Indiana

  14 Dec 2011 | 10:10 am

  INDIANA U. (US) — A new line of mice, bred to prefer alcohol over all other beverages, is expected to offer insight into the role genetics and lifestyle play in alcoholism.The mice drink more alcohol than other animal models and consume it in a fashion similar to humans: choosing alcohol over other options and binge drinking.

• Snakes struggle to keep pace with climate

  Steve Hinnefeld-Indiana

  13 Dec 2011 | 10:44 am

  INDIANA U. (US) — Over the next century, the climate will change more than 100 times faster than the rate at which species can adapt, according to new research.Published in PLoS One, the study focuses on North American rattlesnakes and suggests that the rate of future change in suitable habitat will be two to three orders of magnitude greater than the average change over the past 300 millennia—a time that included three major glacial cycles and significant variation in climate and temperature.

• Bacteria make sticky glue in nick of time

  Steve Chaplin-Indiana

  6 Dec 2011 | 12:20 pm

  INDIANA U. (US) — Some bacteria wait until the last minute to synthesize the glue that allows them to permanently attach to surfaces—a process that is important in the environment and also during the infection process. Researchers found that bacteria—including the freshwater bacterium Caulobacter crescentus and the agricultural pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens—first connect to a surface with the cellular equivalents of propellers and cables and that this initial, reversible contact stimulates the synthesis of a sticky glue.

• Guys’ brains change after violent gaming

  Steve Chaplin-Indiana

  6 Dec 2011 | 11:21 am

  INDIANA U. (US) — After playing violent video games for one week, young adult men showed signs of sustained changes in a region of the brain associated with emotional control, a new study shows.This is the first time researchers at Indiana University—a group that has studied the effects of media violence for more than a decade—have conducted an experimental study that showed a direct relationship between playing violent video games over an extended period of time and a subsequent change in brain regions associated with cognitive function and emotional control.

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  Futurity.org » Johns Hopkins University

• For science’s sake, touch the art

  Dennis O'Shea-JHU

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:44 am

  JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — Visitors to a new exhibition get to break the cardinal rule of museum-going: Please don’t touch.A curator and a scientist—both exploring the question of what feels beautiful—want art lovers to hold and touch some of the pieces in the exhibit Touch and the Enjoyment of Sculpture: Exploring the Appeal of Renaissance Statuettes.

• Google alerts hospitals before flu hits

  Mark Guidera-Johns Hopkins

  13 Jan 2012 | 2:49 pm

  JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — Google’s Flu Trends tool can warn a hospital emergency room much faster than traditional reports that a flood of flu patients is coming, research shows.The researchers found a strong correlation between the tool’s detection of more searches for flu information and a subsequent spike in patients with flu symptoms arriving at a busy urban hospital.

• Mutation tied to cancer risk in young men

  Dianne Shaw-UNC

  12 Jan 2012 | 3:52 pm

  UNC-CHAPEL HILL / U. MICHIGAN (US) — After a 20-year quest to find a genetic driver for prostate cancer that strikes men at younger ages, researchers have zeroed in on a rare, inherited mutation.Researchers found that men who inherit this mutation have a 10 to 20 times higher risk of developing prostate cancer. A report on the discovery is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

• Sensor detects lithium battery fires

  Dennis O'Shea-JHU

  12 Jan 2012 | 1:25 pm

  JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — An inexpensive new sensor can detect overheating and potential fires in common rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.The sensor is based, its inventors at Johns Hopkins University say, on the discovery that an easily measured electrical parameter reveals the internal temperature of a lithium-ion cell.

• How much vitamin D is too much?

  Stephanie Desmon-JHU

  11 Jan 2012 | 9:00 am

  JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — Although vitamin D is essential to good health, researchers say too much may damage blood vessels.Muhammad Amer of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine says his findings show that increasing levels of vitamin D in the blood are linked with lower levels of a marker for cardiovascular inflammation: c-reactive protein, or CRP.

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  Futurity.org » King’s College London

• Seen for first time: T-cells knock out insulin

  Christopher Jones-Cardiff

  16 Jan 2012 | 10:41 am

  CARDIFF (UK) — T-cells in the human body, which help protect us from disease, can inadvertently destroy cells that produce insulin, new research shows.Published in the journal Nature Immunology, the study may clarify the role of T-cells in the development of Type 1 diabetes.

• Sunburn relief may ease chronic pain

  Katherine Barnes-Kings College London

  6 Jul 2011 | 3:40 pm

  KING’S COLLEGE LONDON (UK) — Discovery of a molecule that controls sensitivity to pain from UV rays may lead to medicines that cool a sunburn’s sting and control other inflammatory conditions like arthritis.The study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, is the first to reveal the role of the CXCL5 molecule in mediating pain. The molecule is part of a family of proteins called chemokines, which recruit inflammatory immune cells to injured tissue, triggering pain and tenderness. For the study, volunteers’ had healthy patches of skin exposed to UVB…

• Stem cell switcharoo heals skin

  Emma Reynolds-Kings College London

  5 Apr 2011 | 2:09 pm

  KING’S COLLEGE LONDON (UK) — Bone marrow cells that transform into skin cells could be used to repair damaged skin tissue.Researchers at King’s College London and Osaka University in Japan have uncovered how this process works, providing new insights into the mechanisms behind skin repair. The finding could benefit people with chronic wounds such as leg ulcers, pressure sores and burns, as well as genetic skin diseases such as epidermolysis bullosa, which causes painful blisters on the skin.

• Callous kids face antisocial futures

  Steve Hinnefeld-Indiana

  3 Mar 2011 | 2:23 pm

  INDIANA U. (US) — Children who are at high risk of antisocial behavior demonstrate an alarming lack of emotion, empathy, and guilt, while displaying persistent conduct problems.Those “callous-unemotional (CU) traits, experienced by about 5 to 10 percent of children, are for the most part influenced by genetic factors in boys but by environmental factors in girls.

• Impulsive kids at risk for debt, drug abuse

  Karl Bates-Duke

  27 Jan 2011 | 4:14 pm

  DUKE (US) — Children who struggle with self-control early in life are more likely to face health and financial problems—and even have a criminal record—as adults.The study results are based on feedback from teachers, parents, and observers who assessed levels of self-control in more than 1,000 New Zealand children, who also rated themselves. The assessment included measures like “low frustration tolerance, lacks persistence in reaching goals, difficulty sticking with a task, over-active, acts before thinking, has difficulty waiting turn, restless, not conscientious.”

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  Futurity.org » McGill University

• Hormones unleash ant’s inner ‘Hulk’

  Katherine Gombay-McGill

  9 Jan 2012 | 10:50 am

  MCGILL (CAN) — Researchers report hormones can reawaken ancestral genes in ants—genes that produce giant-headed “supersoldiers.”They look like characters that belong in the Marvel Comic The Hulk, whose body reacts to stress by expanding in size. With huge oblong heads and giant, vicious-looking mandibles, these are supersoldiers of the hyperdiverse ant genus Pheidole.

• Oxygen levels fell in Ice Age oceans

  Katherine Gombay-McGill

  23 Dec 2011 | 8:49 am

  MCGILL (CAN) — Data from the end of the last Ice Age confirm that a changing climate lowers the amount of oxygen in the water.The first comprehensive study of changes in the oxygenation of oceans at the end of the last Ice Age (between about 10 to 20,000 years ago) has implications for the future of our oceans under global warming. The study, which was co-authored by Eric Galbraith, assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences at McGill University, looked at marine sediment and found that that the dissolved oxygen concentrations in large parts of the oceans changed dramatically…

• Tap runs dry as glaciers recede

  Katherine Gombay-McGill

  21 Dec 2011 | 7:50 am

  MCGILL (CAN) — Glaciers are retreating at an unexpectedly fast rate, according to research in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca.They are currently shrinking by about one percent a year, and that percentage is increasing steadily, according to the calculations by McGill University doctoral student Michel Baraer.

• Wires get cozy in smallest circuits

  Katherine Gombay-McGill

  14 Dec 2011 | 8:20 am

  MCGILL (CAN) — A team of scientists has engineered one of the world’s smallest electronic circuits.The work could have a significant effect on the speed and power of the ever-smaller integrated circuits of the future—in everything from smartphones to desktop computers, televisions, and GPS systems.

• DNA ‘remembers’ early living conditions

  Katherine Gombay-McGill

  25 Oct 2011 | 10:51 am

  MCGILL (CAN) — Family living conditions in childhood are associated with significant effects in DNA that persist well into middle age, new research shows.Scientists looked for gene methylation associated with social and economic factors in early life and found clear differences between people brought up in families with very high and very low standards of living. More than twice as many methylation differences—1,252 as opposed to 545—were associated with the combined effect of the wealth, housing conditions, and occupation of parents (that is, early upbringing) than were associated with…

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  Futurity.org » Michigan State University

• How auto’s Big Three flunked Accounting 101

  Andy Henion-Michigan State

  27 Jan 2012 | 1:27 pm

  MICHIGAN STATE (US) — According to a new study, the Big Three automakers in the US overlooked basic accounting practices that could have guarded against long-term damage.The researchers identify a culture of emphasizing short-term gain over long-term brand stability at General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co., and Chrysler Group LLC.

• Prejudice sparks anger in men, fear in women

  Andy Henion-Michigan State

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:18 am

  MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Group conflict over the ages may have helped shape the way men and women respond to prejudice.A new study finds prejudice is linked to aggression for men and fear for women, responses also seen in humans’ closest relative, the chimpanzee.

• Protein folding lags in early Parkinson’s

  Layne Cameron-Michigan State

  19 Jan 2012 | 7:32 am

  MICHIGAN STATE (US) — According to a new study, the protein “clumping” that sets off Parkinson’s disease is the result of a slower folding rate.A team of researchers led by Basir Ahmad, a postdoctoral researcher at Michigan State University, has demonstrated that slow-wriggling alpha-synuclein proteins are the cause of aggregation, or clumping together, which is the first step of Parkinson’s.

• Anxious kids: Why the ‘tiger’ mom tactic fails

  Andy Henion-Michigan State

  18 Jan 2012 | 9:16 am

  MICHIGAN STATE (US) — High-achieving Chinese-American students are more depressed and anxious than their white peers, according to a new study that challenges the “tiger mother” view of parenting.As defined by the author Amy Chua in her book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, the Eastern view of parenting holds that children should be pushed to excel at all costs and that parents need not worry about their children’s happiness—only their success.

• Fed antibiotics, pigs carry resistant bugs

  Layne Cameron-Michigan State

  18 Jan 2012 | 7:28 am

  MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Antibiotics in pig feed increase the number of antibiotic resistant genes in gastrointestinal microbes in pigs, say researchers.The Michigan State University study focused on understanding the effects of conventional, in-feed antibiotics in U.S. farms, and was conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service.

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  Futurity.org » Monash University

• Could stem cells save snow leopards?

  Emily Walker-Monash

  23 Jan 2012 | 10:41 am

  MONASH U. (AUS) — Scientists have produced embryonic stem-like cells from the tissue of an adult snow leopard for the first time.Never before have induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which share many of the useful properties of embryonic stem cells, been generated from a member of the cat family.

• Ancient Andes suggest way to predict quakes

  Emily Walker-Monash

  2 Dec 2011 | 10:58 am

  MONASH (AUS) — Scientists are a step closer to predicting when and where earthquakes will occur after taking a fresh look at the formation of the Andes, which began 45 million years ago.The study, published in the journal Nature, describes a new approach to plate tectonics. It is the first model to go beyond illustrating how plates move, and explain why.

• Gene acts as stop signal for skin cancer

  Emily Walker-Monash

  2 Dec 2011 | 9:50 am

  MONASH (AUS) — The discovery of a gene that stops a common form of skin cancer from developing could make new cancer treatments and prevention available to the public in five years, researchers say.Until now, the genetic basis of squamous cell cancer (SCC) has not been well understood, with surgical treatments the only option.

• Hospital ‘superbug’ colonizes colon

  Emily Walker-Monash

  14 Nov 2011 | 10:08 am

  U. MONASH (US) — A mutation turns a common hospital bacterium into a deadly superbug that kills increasing numbers of hospital patients worldwide.The superbug accounts for an estimated $3.2 billion each year in health care costs in the United States alone.

• Why obese bodies resist leptin

  Emily Walker-Monash

  14 Nov 2011 | 9:52 am

  MONASH (AUS) — Researchers have discovered how a key causal component of obesity—resistance to the hormone leptin—develops.Tony Tiganis, lead author of a study published in the journal Cell Metabolism, says our bodies produce leptin in response to increasing fat deposits.

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  Futurity.org » New York University

• Cavefish cast off eyes for life in the dark

  James Devitt-NYU

  24 Jan 2012 | 12:27 pm

  NYU (US) — Researchers say cavefish, having lost their pigmentation and sight from living in complete darkness, are an example of convergent evolution.Blind Mexican cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus) have not only lost their sight, but have adapted to perpetual darkness by also losing their pigment (albinism) and having altered sleep patterns.

• Sugar in cells marks esophageal cancer

  James Devitt-NYU

  19 Jan 2012 | 9:52 am

  NYU (US) — Researchers say it may be possible to detect pre-cancerous cells in the esophagus by identifying changes in the patterns of sugar molecules that line the cells.The discovery, reported in the journal Nature Medicine, could it much easier to detect and remove these cells before they develop into esophageal cancer—the fifth biggest cause of cancer death in the United Kingdom and the eighth leading cause of cancer deaths for men in the United States, with the number of people diagnosed increasing rapidly.

• ‘Unequivocal’ tree of life for seed plants

  James Devitt-NYU

  21 Dec 2011 | 11:32 am

  NYU (US) — Scientists have plotted the evolutionary relationships of 150 different plant species—the largest ever genome tree for seed plants.Reported in the journal PLoS Genetics, the new approach, called “functional phylogenomics,” allows scientists to reconstruct the pattern of events that led to the vast number of plant species and could help identify genes used to improve seed quality for agriculture.

• Dentists could screen 20 million for disease

  Christopher James-NYU

  19 Dec 2011 | 10:37 am

  NYU (US) — Dentists could play a crucial role in the front-line defense against disease, according to a study that finds nearly 20 million Americans visit a dentist every year, but not a general healthcare provider.For the study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, researchers examined the most recent available data from a nationally representative subsample of 31,262 adults and children who participated in the Department of Health & Human Services 2008 annual National Health Interview Survey.

• Brain’s view of motion is not so simple

  James Devitt-NYU

  13 Dec 2011 | 11:13 am

  NYU (US) — The relationship between the brain and visual perception varies depending on the type of motion being viewed, a finding that suggests a significantly more complex process than previously thought.Perception of motion was previously thought to be derived from a relatively simple process—relying on a single cortical area in the brain, the MT, long known to have a well-established role in processing information about moving visual objects.

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  Futurity.org » Northwestern University

• Calculation may lowball heart attack risk

  Marla Paul-Northwestern

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:48 am

  NORTHWESTERN (US) — Men and women may have a false sense of security about their chances of having a heart attack or stroke based on the current practice of calculating a patient’s risk 10 years into the future.As reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, the research shows a young or middle-aged adult who is at low risk in the short term may be at very high risk in the long term—if he or she has just one or two risk factors such as higher than optimal cholesterol or blood pressure levels.

• Low birth weight linked to autism risk

  Wendy Leopold-Northwestern

  20 Jan 2012 | 11:36 am

  NORTHWESTERN (US) — In a study of twins, lower birth weight more than tripled the risk for autism spectrum disorder in identical pairs, in which one twin had symptoms of the disorder and the other did not.Although the genetic basis of autism is now well established, a growing body of research also suggests environmental factors may play a role in the disorder that affects nearly one in 100 children.

• By stopping misfolds, genes keep us healthy

  Megan Fellman-Northwestern

  10 Jan 2012 | 10:24 am

  NORTHWESTERN (US) — Researchers have identified a set of genes that prevent protein misfolding, a condition linked to a range of disorders, including Alzheimer’s and cancer.To do its job within the cell, a protein must first fold itself into the proper shape. If it doesn’t, trouble can result—more than 300 diseases have at their root proteins that misfold, aggregate, and eventually cause cellular dysfunction and death.

• How to build a better hip: Graphite

  Megan Fellman-Northwestern

  28 Dec 2011 | 8:53 am

  NORTHWESTERN (US) — Graphite may be the key to designing new materials for hip implants that last longer and are less susceptible to wear and tear.Prosthetic materials for hips, which include metals, polymers, and ceramics, have a lifetime typically exceeding 10 years. Beyond that, however, the failure rate generally increases, particularly in young, active individuals. The aim is to see that lifespan increased to 30 to 50 years, physicians say. Ideally, artificial hips should last the patient’s lifetime.

• New phone battery charges 10x faster

  Megan Fellman-Northwestern

  17 Nov 2011 | 10:37 am

  NORTHWESTERN (US) — A new lithium-ion battery not only holds a charge up to 10 times longer than current technology, but can also charge 10 times faster.Researchers combined two chemical engineering approaches to address two major limitations faced by rechargeable batteries like those found in cellphones and iPods—energy capacity and charge rate—in one fell swoop. The technology could also pave the way for more efficient, smaller batteries for electric cars.

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  Futurity.org » Penn State

• For smokers, lead linked to kidney cancer

  A'ndrea Elyse Messer-Penn State

  26 Jan 2012 | 1:30 pm

  PENN STATE (US) — Higher than normal levels of lead in the blood may double a smoker’s risk of developing kidney cancer, new research shows.“Past studies (in cadavers) have shown that, compared with kidneys from individuals without cancer, kidneys from individuals with cancer have higher lead levels,” says Emily B. Southard, medical student at Penn State College of Medicine.

• Longer bones give sprinters speed

  A'ndrea Elyse Messer-Penn State

  24 Jan 2012 | 3:11 pm

  PENN STATE (US) — Researchers have uncovered clues that help explain why some people are faster runners than others.The skeletal structure of the foot and ankle differs significantly between human sprinters and non-sprinters, a finding that could be useful for helping people who have difficulty walking, such as older adults and children with cerebral palsy.

• Icy microbes make case for life on Mars

  A'ndrea Elyse Messer-Penn State

  24 Jan 2012 | 10:44 am

  PENN STATE (US) — The bottom of a glacier is not the most hospitable place on Earth, but at least two types of bacteria happily live there, according to researchers.The bacteria—Chryseobacterium and Paenisporosarcina—showed signs of respiration in ice made in the laboratory that was designed to simulate as closely as possible the temperatures and nutrient content found at the bottom of Arctic and Antarctic glaciers, says Corien Bakermans, assistant professor of microbiology at Penn State Altoona.

• Climate conflict: Sea level vs. surface temp

  A'ndrea Elyse Messer-Penn State

  19 Jan 2012 | 10:17 am

  PENN STATE (US) — Engineering our way out of global climate warming may not be as easy as simply reducing the incoming solar energy, a research team concludes.Designing the approach to control both sea level rise and rates of surface air temperature changes requires a balancing act to accommodate the diverging needs of different locations.

• Top 10 stories of 2011

  Futurity-Jenny Leonard

  29 Dec 2011 | 3:28 pm

  FUTURITY — From sex appeal to fish oil to ancient buckles, here’s a look back at some of the top research news of 2011. 4-D coming to a universe near you? First sex boosts guys’ body image Future of hard drives: uranium? Paralyzed man’s mind moves prosthetic arm Sex appeal: Women kiss science goodbye How much fish oil is too much? Alaskan dig turns up ancient ‘buckle’ Why we quit when others succeed Aging musicians have sharp brains Wanted: Gender-free job ads

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  Futurity.org » Princeton University

• Years after Katrina, minds slow to recover

  Morgan Kelly-Princeton

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:38 am

  PRINCETON (US) — Survivors of Hurricane Katrina have struggled with poor mental health for years, according to a new study of low-income mothers in the New Orleans area.The researchers were able to collect data on the participants before Katrina and nearly five years after the August 2005 storm, finding a persistence of poor mental health and gaining insights into how different types of hurricane-related stressors affect mental health.

• Night lights pinpoint disease outbreaks

  Morgan Kelly-Princeton

  13 Dec 2011 | 10:37 am

  PRINCETON (US) — Researchers are using satellite images of nighttime lights to keep tabs on disease hotspots in developing nations.By revealing the population boom that often coincides with seasonal epidemics, the images can indicate where people are clustered by capturing expansion and increasing brightness of lighted areas. The technique accurately indicates fluctuations in population density—and thus the risk of epidemic—that can elude current methods of monitoring outbreaks.

• Fast reactions for more ‘eureka!’ moments

  Morgan Kelly-Princeton

  30 Nov 2011 | 9:39 am

  PRINCETON (US) — An effort to achieve “accelerated serendipity” uses robotics to perform more than 1,000 chemical reactions a day with molecules never before combined.In a single day of trials, Princeton University researchers discovered a shortcut for producing pharmaceutical-like compounds that shaves weeks off the traditional process, the team reports in the journal Science.

• Day-to-day weather more erratic, extreme

  Morgan Kelly-Princeton

  17 Nov 2011 | 7:46 pm

  PRINCETON (US) — The first climate study to focus on variations in daily weather conditions finds increasing extremes, with fluctuations in sunshine and rainfall affecting more than a third of the planet.Princeton University researchers recently reported in the Journal of Climate that extremely sunny or cloudy days are more common than in the early 1980s, and that swings from thunderstorms to dry days rose considerably since the late 1990s.

• Battle of the biomes: Savannas vs. forests

  Morgan Kelly-Princeton

  2 Nov 2011 | 9:20 am

  PRINCETON (US) —Large stretches of South American and African forest and savanna could begin to encroach on each other due to factors such as climate change and land use—much to the detriment of the people and animals that rely on them.Savanna wildfires keep tree cover low and prevent forests from encroaching on the grassland. When tree cover is high, as in a forest, fires cannot spread as easily, halting the savanna’s advance into the forest.

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  Futurity.org » Purdue University

• Medical sensor powered by rap music?

  Emil Venere-Purdue

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:14 pm

  PURDUE (US) — The driving bass rhythm of rap can be used to power a new miniature medical sensor designed to be implanted in the body.Acoustic waves from music, particularly rap, were found to effectively recharge the pressure sensor. Such a device might ultimately help to treat people stricken with aneurisms or incontinence due to paralysis.

• High insecticide levels in dead honeybees

  Brian Wallheimer-Purdue

  13 Jan 2012 | 10:30 am

  PURDUE (US) — Honeybee populations have been in serious decline for years, and scientists may have identified one of the factors that cause bee deaths around agricultural fields.Analyses of bees found dead in and around hives from several apiaries over two years in Indiana showed the presence of neonicotinoid insecticides, which are commonly used to coat corn and soybean seeds before planting.

• Bacteria build ‘houses’ in healthy cells

  Elizabeth Gardner-Purdue

  29 Dec 2011 | 8:39 am

  PURDUE (US) — Bacteria are able to build camouflaged homes for themselves inside healthy cells—and cause disease—by manipulating a natural cellular process, new research shows.Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study reveals how a pair of proteins from the bacteria Legionella pneumophila, which causes Legionnaires’ disease, alters a host protein in order to divert raw materials within the cell for use in building and disguising a large structure that houses the bacteria as it replicates.

• Lasers track nanotubes in living cells

  Emil Venere-Purdue

  9 Dec 2011 | 9:21 am

  PURDUE (US) — A new imaging tool that tracks carbon nanotubes in living cells and the bloodstream could advance their use for biomedical research and clinical medicine.The structures have potential applications in drug delivery to treat diseases and imaging for cancer research. Two types of nanotubes are created in the manufacturing process: metallic and semiconducting. Until now, however, there has been no technique to see both types in living cells and the bloodstream.

• Dry roads most risky for young male drivers

  Emil Venere-Purdue

  8 Dec 2011 | 9:32 am

  PURDUE (US) — A study of Indiana drivers shows heightened risk of serious injury and death for men 45 and older driving on snow and ice, women driving on rain-slick highways, and younger men driving on dry roadways.“I would say Indiana is pretty representative of the nation as a whole because it is average in terms of climate and socio-demographics, so these findings might be similar nationwide,” says Fred Mannering, professor of civil engineering at Purdue University.

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  Futurity.org » Rice University

• Replica of Trojan asteroids fits in single atom

  Jade Boyd-Rice

  25 Jan 2012 | 11:43 am

  RICE (US) — Physicists have built an accurate model of part of the solar system inside a single atom of potassium.In a paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters, the Rice University team showed they could cause an electron in an atom to orbit the nucleus in precisely the same way that Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids orbit the sun.

• Water sees right through graphene

  Mike Williams-Rice

  24 Jan 2012 | 12:16 pm

  RICE (US) — Graphene is largely transparent to the eye and, as it turns out, largely transparent to water.A new study by scientists at Rice University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) has determined that gold, copper and silicon get just as wet when clad by a single continuous layer of graphene as they would without.

• Carbon fibers yield graphene quantum dots

  Mike Williams-Rice

  17 Jan 2012 | 10:54 am

  RICE (US) — Scientists have developed a one-step chemical process to turn carbon fibers into graphene quantum dots.The Rice University researchers say the new method is markedly simpler than established techniques for making graphene quantum dots—tiny specks of matter expected to prove useful in electronic, optical, and biomedical applications.

• Racism may harm your health

  Amy Hodges-Rice

  17 Jan 2012 | 10:45 am

  RICE (US) — A new study finds 18 percent of blacks and 4 percent of whites report emotional and/or physical distress due to racial discrimination.“Discriminatory behavior very well may be a ‘missing link’ in the analysis of racial and ethnic health disparities,” Rice University sociologist Jenifer Bratter says. “It’s important to acknowledge and study its impact on long-term health.

• Graphene: Oil industry’s rising star

  David Ruth-Rice

  14 Dec 2011 | 9:48 am

  RICE (US) — Graphene’s strength, light weight, and solubility may ultimately make it the answer to the efficient, environmentally sound production of oil, a new study shows.Researchers at Rice University and M-I SWACO, a Texas-based supplier of drilling fluids and subsidiary of oil-services provider Schlumberger, have produced functionalized graphene oxide to alleviate the clogging of oil-producing pores in newly drilled wells.

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  Futurity.org » Rutgers

• Taxpayers save with paid family leave

  Steve Manas-Rutgers

  23 Jan 2012 | 11:14 am

  RUTGERS (US) — Offering paid family leave to workers leads to positive economic outcomes for working families, businesses, and the public, a new study concludes.The research, conducted by researchers at Rutgers, finds women who use paid leave are far more likely to be working nine to twelve months after a child’s birth than those who do not take any leave. These women also report increases in wages from pre- to post-birth.

• Therapy protects liver from drug damage

  Carl Blesch-Rutgers

  18 Jan 2012 | 10:38 am

  RUTGERS (US) — Blocking communication between cells may be an effective way to protect the liver from toxic drugs like acetaminophen, new research shows.Drug-induced liver injury is the most common cause of acute liver failure in the US and is also the most frequent reason for abandoning drugs early in development or withdrawing them from the market. Liver toxicity limits the development of many therapeutic compounds and presents major challenges to both clinical medicine and to the pharmaceutical industry.

• El Gordo: Big, hot galaxy cluster found

  Carl Blesch-Rutgers

  12 Jan 2012 | 10:36 am

  RUTGERS (US) — Astrophysicists have discovered the largest galaxy cluster ever seen in the distant universe, located more than 7 billion light years from Earth.Officially known as ACT-CL J0102-4915, the galaxy cluster has been nicknamed “El Gordo” (the big one or the fat one in Spanish) by the researchers who discovered it.

• Babies remember inklings, not objects

  Lisa De Nike-JHU

  22 Dec 2011 | 3:55 pm

  JOHNS HOPKINS / RUTGERS (US) — Infants may not remember what they saw, but they remember that they saw something, according to researchers.New research reveals that even though very young babies can’t remember details once an object disappears, their brains do retain a notion that whatever they saw was there and still exists.

• Bees keep up as Earth heats up

  Krishna Ramanujan-Cornell

  14 Dec 2011 | 6:45 pm

  CORNELL (US) — Bees and plants are able to keep pace as the warm temperatures of spring start a little earlier each year due to climate change, according to new research.Spring now arrives about 10 days earlier than in the 1880s, according to a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and bees and flowering plants are keeping pace by planning their arrivals. Most of this shift has occurred since 1970, when the change in mean annual temperature has increased most rapidly.

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  Futurity.org » Stanford University

• Social skills suffer when tweens multitask

  Dan Stober-Stanford

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:16 am

  STANFORD (US) — Tween girls who spend endless hours multitasking on digital devices tend to be less successful with social and emotional development, say researchers.But these unwanted effects might be warded off with something as simple as face-to-face conversations with other people, a new study shows.

• As global incomes rise, diabetes follows

  Adam Gorlick-Stanford

  16 Jan 2012 | 11:49 am

  STANFORD (US) — Health experts expect the number of diabetics in developing countries to increase as incomes rise around the world.In China and India—two of the world’s most populous nations, both with fast-paced economies—the prevalence of diabetes is expected to double by 2025. Between 15 and 20 percent of the adult populations will develop the disease as household budgets increase, diets change to include more calories, and new health problems emerge.

• Online project maps militant groups

  Michael Freedman-Stanford

  10 Jan 2012 | 7:01 am

  STANFORD (US) —A new online mapping project clarifies the complex relationships among terrorist organizations around the world.What’s the difference between Hamas in Iraq, the Islamic Army in Iraq, and the Jihad and Reform Front? The three militant Islamist groups are based in Iraq, but they have different historical roots and leadership structures. And their goals and strategies do not necessarily align, say researchers at Stanford University.

• First female professor’s archive goes digital

  Dan Stober-Stanford

  9 Jan 2012 | 9:22 am

  STANFORD (US) — The archives of Europe’s first female professor, Laura Bassi, will soon be available online.Laura Bassi, a noted 18th-century Italian scientist, left behind 6,000 pages of intriguing documents that describe her life and work. They now rest in the archives of the principal municipal library in Bologna, Italy, safe but not accessible to the world at large.

• ‘Pack’ semiconductors to boost efficiency

  Andrew Myers-Stanford

  6 Jan 2012 | 6:10 am

  STANFORD (US) — A new way of packing molecules could boost the electrical conductivity of organic semiconductors, paving the way for foldable smartphones and clothing that uses sunlight to charge iPads.In a paper published in the journal Nature, chemical engineers report that by packing molecules closer together as the semiconductor crystals form—a technique called  “straining the lattice”—they more than doubled the record for electrical conductivity of an organic semiconductor and saw an eleven-fold improvement over unstrained lattices of the same semiconductor.

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  Futurity.org » Stony Brook University

• We text and walk and veer off course

  Jacob Levich-Stony Brook

  20 Jan 2012 | 11:11 am

  STONY BROOK (US) — Talking or texting on a phone while walking can make it difficult to stay on course and may interfere with memory recall, research shows.Thirty-three men and women in their 20s, all of whom used a cell phone and were familiar with texting, participated in a study reported in the journal Gait & Posture.

• Minnows may inherit ideal temperatures

  Jacob Levich-Stony Brook

  13 Jan 2012 | 12:28 pm

  STONY BROOK (US) — Fish can be preconditioned to grow fastest in the same water temperature their parents experienced, say researchers.This preconditioning, known as transgenerational plasticity (TGP), occurs whenever environmental cues experienced by either parent prior to fertilization change how offspring respond to the environment.

• Boats vs. whales in Cape Cod Bay

  A'ndrea Elyse Messer-Penn State

  4 Aug 2011 | 9:50 am

  PENN STATE (US) — To keep endangered whales from being hit and injured by boats in Cape Cod Bay, researchers are tracking the tiny crustaceans the whales feast on 18 hours a day.North Atlantic right whales, like Southern and North Pacific right whales, are an endangered species. The researchers report this week in Biology Letters that “North Atlantic right whales have the largest per capita record of vessel strikes of any large whale population in the world.” These whales are susceptible to being struck by boat propellers when they are in the bay because the whales feast on…

• Impulsive neutrinos change their flavor

  Jim Scott CU-Boulder

  17 Jun 2011 | 2:32 pm

  U. COLORADO-BOULDER (US) — Neutrinos can spontaneously change flavors, a finding that may help explain why the universe is made up mostly of matter.The new research is a significant step in discovering why matter trumped antimatter at the time of the big bang, helping to create virtually all the galaxies and stars in the universe.

• Super carbon denser than diamonds

  Jacob Levich-Stony Brook

  10 Jun 2011 | 10:41 am

  STONY BROOK U. (US) — Three newly discovered structures of carbon may be three percent denser, more brilliant, and better able to handle pressure than diamonds.The research is reported in the journal Physical Review B.

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  Futurity.org » Texas A&M University

• Bacteria ‘chatter’ curbs infectious slime

  Sherylon Carroll-Texas A&M

  5 Jan 2012 | 10:24 am

  TEXAS A&M (US) — By manipulating the way bacteria “talk” to each other, researchers have achieved unprecedented control over the formation and dispersal of biofilms.Working with E. coli bacteria, researchers employed specific signals sent and received between bacteria to trigger the dispersal of biofilm. The finding is significant because biofilm, a community of bacteria living together, is notoriously difficult to break apart.

• Compound dissolves HIV on contact

  Ryan Garcia-Texas A&M

  28 Nov 2011 | 11:17 am

  TEXAS A&M (US) — Researchers are closer to developing a topical compound that stops HIV by dissolving the virus on contact.The ability of the synthetic compound known as “PD 404,182″ to break apart the AIDS-causing virus before it can infect cells was discovered by Zhilei Chen, assistant professor of chemical engineering at Texas A&M University, and her team of researchers. Their findings appear in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

• Online daters tend to ditch ‘wish lists’

  Hilary Hurd Anyaso-Northwestern

  16 Nov 2011 | 10:44 am

  NORTHWESTERN / TEXAS A&M  (US) — Online daters are quick to look for a partner that fulfills a wish list of ideal characteristics—but those ideals may go by the wayside once they actually meet in person.“People have ideas about the abstract qualities they’re looking for in a romantic partner,” says Paul Eastwick, assistant professor of psychology at Texas A&M and lead author of a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. “But once you actually meet somebody face to face, those ideal preferences for traits tend to be quite…

• Early hunters: Pre-Clovis weapon found in US

  Keith Randall-Texas A&M

  25 Oct 2011 | 3:58 pm

  TEXAS A&M (US) — The tip of a bone point fragment found embedded in a mastodon rib from an archaeological site in Washington state shows that hunters were present in North America at least 800 years before Clovis.The finding confirms that the first inhabitants arrived earlier to North America than previously thought, says a team of researchers led by a Texas A&M University archaeologist.

• Speech therapy: How to yell like a bat

  Keith Randall-Texas A&M

  20 Oct 2011 | 10:51 am

  TEXAS A&M (US) — New research that shows bats raise their voices to be heard above the crowd could lead to improved speech therapy for people with Parkinson’s disease.Bats emit sounds and use echolocation to navigate in the dark. Like humans, bats constantly adjust the sound of their voices in a noisy environment so that they can hear themselves speak in crowded areas.

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  Futurity.org » University at Buffalo

• Send cargo to brain in nontoxic ‘vessels’

  Charlotte Hsu-Buffalo

  10 Jan 2012 | 8:43 am

  U. BUFFALO (US) — A novel class of nanoparticles penetrates the brain of fruit flies without harming cells or interfering with normal function, raising the possibility of safe drug delivery, researchers say.Each particle is a vessel, containing cavities that scientists could potentially fill with helpful chemical compounds or gene therapies to send to different parts of the human body.

• Top 10 stories of 2011

  Futurity-Jenny Leonard

  29 Dec 2011 | 3:28 pm

  FUTURITY — From sex appeal to fish oil to ancient buckles, here’s a look back at some of the top research news of 2011. 4-D coming to a universe near you? First sex boosts guys’ body image Future of hard drives: uranium? Paralyzed man’s mind moves prosthetic arm Sex appeal: Women kiss science goodbye How much fish oil is too much? Alaskan dig turns up ancient ‘buckle’ Why we quit when others succeed Aging musicians have sharp brains Wanted: Gender-free job ads

• Greener commutes with eco-routes

  Charlotte Hsu-Buffalo

  16 Dec 2011 | 8:26 am

  U. BUFFALO (US) — The path of least emissions may not always be the fastest way to drive somewhere, but it’s possible for drivers to cut emissions without significantly slowing travel time, researchers say.In detailed, computer simulations of traffic in upstate New York’s Buffalo Niagara region, University at Buffalo researchers Adel Sadek and Liya Guo found that green routing could reduce overall emissions of carbon monoxide by 27 percent for area drivers, while increasing the length of trips by an average of just 11 percent.

• The best bosses lead by failing

  Jacqueline Ghosen-Buffalo

  13 Dec 2011 | 9:28 am

  U. BUFFALO (US) — Humble leaders who embrace their failures are more effective and better liked, according to a new study.“Leaders of all ranks view admitting mistakes, spotlighting follower strengths, and modeling teachability as being at the core of humble leadership,” says Bradley Owens, assistant professor of organization and human resources at the University at Buffalo.

• Assault risk for women who binge drink in college

  Charlotte Hsu-Buffalo

  12 Dec 2011 | 10:23 am

  U. BUFFALO (US) — Young women who steer clear of alcohol while they’re in high school often change their ways when they go to college—and may be at higher risk of sexual assault as a result, research shows.For a new study published in Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, researchers followed 437 young women from high school graduation through freshman year of college.

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  Futurity.org » University of California at Berkeley

• Gossip lowers stress, keeps cheats in check

  Yasmin Anwar-UC Berkeley

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:46 pm

  UC BERKELEY (US) — Gossip can have positive outcomes such as helping us police bad behavior, prevent exploitation, and lower stress, say researchers.“Gossip gets a bad rap, but we’re finding evidence that it plays a critical role in the maintenance of social order,” says University of California, Berkeley social psychologist Robb Willer, a coauthor of a study published in this month’s online issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

• Restored wetlands may never recover

  Robert Sanders-UC Berkeley

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:30 am

  UC BERKELEY (US) — Even after a century of restoration efforts, some wetlands are never able to return to their original natural state.“Once you degrade a wetland, it doesn’t recover its normal assemblage of plants or its rich stores of organic soil  carbon, which both affect natural cycles of water and  nutrients, for many years,” says David Moreno-Mateos, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. “Even after 100 years, the restored wetland is still different from what was there before, and it may never recover.”

• Tease the brain. It may lower Alzheimer’s risk

  Sarah Yang-Berkeley

  24 Jan 2012 | 10:09 am

  UC BERKELEY (US) — Brain-stimulating habits over a lifetime are linked to lower levels of a key Alzheimer’s protein, new research shows.Brain scans show people with no symptoms of Alzheimer’s who engaged in cognitively stimulating activities throughout their lives had fewer deposits of beta-amyloid, a destructive protein that is the hallmark of the disease.

• From seashell colors, a snapshot of evolution

  Anita Srikameswaran-Pittsburgh

  16 Jan 2012 | 10:14 am

  U. PITTSBURGH (US) — Researchers studying 19 different sea snail species have used a new technique to model the pigmentation patterns of mollusk shells, a discovery that sheds light on how ancient nervous systems evolved. “There is no evolutionary record of nervous systems, but what you’re seeing on the surface of seashells is a space-time record, like the recording of brain-wave activity in an electroencephalogram (EEG),” says G. Bard Ermentrout, professor of computational biology at the University of Pittsburgh.Seashells differ substantially between the closely related Conus…

• Tiny planet triplets orbit dwarf star

  Deborah Williams-Hedges-Caltech

  13 Jan 2012 | 10:55 am

  CALTECH (US) — Astronomers have discovered the three smallest confirmed planets ever detected outside our solar system.The trio of new planets that are smaller than Earth and appear rocky, orbit a single star too closely to be in its habitable zone—the ring-shaped region around a star where the temperature is mild enough for liquid water, and possibly life, to exist.

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  Futurity.org » University of California at Davis

• When auditor fees jump, stocks tumble

  Karen Nikos-UC Davis

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:57 pm

  UC DAVIS (US) — Unexplained increases in a company’s auditor fees may foreshadow a future drop in stock prices, according to a new study.“A rise in audit fees acts to deliver a precursory message about trouble within the company,” says one of the study’s authors, Paul Griffin, a professor at the University of California, Davis.

• Stem cells deliver therapy for Huntington’s

  Charles Casey-UC Davis

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:02 am

  UC DAVIS (US) — A new therapy uses stem cells to deliver therapy that specifically targets the genetic abnormality found in Huntington’s disease.A hereditary brain disorder that causes uncontrolled movement, dementia, and death, Huntington’s disease can be managed with medications, but currently there are no treatments for the physical, mental, and behavioral decline of its victims.

• Signers quick to read body language

  Andy Fell-UC Davis

  24 Jan 2012 | 10:54 am

  UC DAVIS (US) — Deaf people who use sign language can recognize and interpret body language more readily than hearing non-signers, a new study shows.The work suggests that deaf people may be especially adept at picking up on subtle visual traits in the actions of others, an ability that could be useful for some sensitive jobs, such as airport screening.

• When galaxy clusters collide

  Andy Fell-UC Davis

  23 Jan 2012 | 11:53 am

  UC DAVIS (US) — Researchers have new details about what happens when two clusters of galaxies collide.“A galaxy cluster is like a little universe, because it has the same matter composition as the whole universe,” says William Dawson, a PhD candidate in physics at the University of California, Davis. “By studying this little universe, we can learn more about our own.”

• Sunlight-oil mix is deadly for fish embryos

  Kat Kerlin-UC Davis

  20 Jan 2012 | 9:21 am

  UC DAVIS (US) — In shallow water, even small oil spills can have a significant effect on marine life, according to new research that indicates common chemical analyses of oil spills may be inadequate.The 2007 Cosco Busan disaster, which spilled 54,000 gallons of oil into the San Francisco Bay, had an unexpectedly lethal impact on embryonic fish, devastating a commercially and ecologically important species for nearly two years.

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  Futurity.org » University of California at Irvine

• Signers quick to read body language

  Andy Fell-UC Davis

  24 Jan 2012 | 10:54 am

  UC DAVIS (US) — Deaf people who use sign language can recognize and interpret body language more readily than hearing non-signers, a new study shows.The work suggests that deaf people may be especially adept at picking up on subtle visual traits in the actions of others, an ability that could be useful for some sensitive jobs, such as airport screening.

• Tendons take shock muscles won’t handle

  Richard Lewis-Brown

  30 Sep 2011 | 12:43 pm

  BROWN U. (US) — Tendons in the legs act as shock absorbers, offering protection at the moment of impact with muscles stepping up less than a second later to absorb the remaining energy.The tendons’ role is crucial, researchers write in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, because they help protect the fascicles—fibrous bundles in skeletally connecting muscles—against damage from the rapid burst of energy and power generated by the impact.

• On cooler days, beaches beat stress best

  Jessica Martin-WUSTL

  28 Sep 2011 | 10:15 am

  WASHINGTON U.-ST. LOUIS (US) — There are peak times to visit the beach if you’re in search of a little rest and relaxation, a finding that suggests coastal parks should plan for the effects of climate change.“Mild temperature days and low tides offer the most restorative environments when visiting the beach,” says J. Aaron Hipp, assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis and an expert in environmental health.

• How the Milky Way got its spiral

  Karen Hoffmann-Pittsburgh

  19 Sep 2011 | 11:09 am

  U. PITTSBURGH (US) — The Milky Way’s spiral arms began forming after an epic collision with the Sagittarius Dwarf galaxy, according to supercomputer simulations.In the field of cosmology, supercomputer simulations are the only laboratories for scientific experimentation, allowing astronomers to recreate a small-scale simulation or model of distant, violent events that occurred over billions of years, and observe that model in sped-up time, in order to make predictions that can be tested by actual observations of the universe.

• Impulsive neutrinos change their flavor

  Jim Scott CU-Boulder

  17 Jun 2011 | 2:32 pm

  U. COLORADO-BOULDER (US) — Neutrinos can spontaneously change flavors, a finding that may help explain why the universe is made up mostly of matter.The new research is a significant step in discovering why matter trumped antimatter at the time of the big bang, helping to create virtually all the galaxies and stars in the universe.

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  Futurity.org » University of California at Santa Barbara

• Ocean sensors gauge pH on global scale

  Gail Gallessich-UC Santa Barbara

  24 Jan 2012 | 3:16 pm

  UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — A team of researchers has reported results from the broadest worldwide study of ocean acidification—or pH level—to date.Acidification is known to be a direct result of the increasing amount of greenhouse gas emissions. The University of California, Santa Barbara, scientists used sensors to measure the acidity of 15 ocean locations, including seawater in the Antarctic and in temperate and tropical waters.

• Amazon basin shows signs of stress

  George Foulsham-UC Santa Barbara

  23 Jan 2012 | 9:52 am

  UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — Human land-use activity has begun to change the regional water and energy cycles of parts of the Amazon basin.A new study published in the journal Nature also shows ongoing interactions of deforestation, fire, and climate change have the potential to alter carbon storage, rainfall patterns, and river discharge on an even larger scale. Led by scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Woods Hole Research Center, the work involved researchers from 13 Brazilian and U.S. universities, and government and non-governmental organizations. Their…

• Would you ‘friend’ Shakespeare?

  George Foulsham-UC Santa Barbara

  12 Jan 2012 | 3:10 pm

  UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — A new social network tracks major figures in literature, like William Shakespeare and Robert Frost—and the scholars who study them.For example, if the poet William Wordsworth belonged to LinkedIn, his network might include colleagues Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey; his sister, Dorothy Wordsworth; and his former classmate, Robert James. It might also include Alan Liu, professor of English at University of California, Santa Barbara, who edited a collection of Wordsworth’s poetry.

• Gulf ‘swirl’ key to recovery after oil spill

  George Foulsham-UC Santa Barbara

  10 Jan 2012 | 3:02 pm

  UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — A new computer model shows how bacteria, topography, and water currents combined to remove methane and other chemicals from the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010.Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the new study is an extension of a 2011 study by David Valentine, a geochemist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in which he and his research partners explained the role of bacteria in consuming more than 200,000 metric tons of dissolved methane.

• Supernova fireworks shed light on cosmos

  Sonia Chernobieff-Caltech

  16 Dec 2011 | 9:04 am

  CALTECH (US) — The brightest and closest stellar explosion seen from Earth in 25 years offers the most detailed picture yet of how this kind of explosion happens.Known as a Type Ia supernova, this type of blast is an essential tool that allows scientists to measure the expansion of the universe and understand the very nature of the cosmos.

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  Futurity.org » University of Chicago

• How ‘molecular machines’ evolved

  John Easton-Chicago

  11 Jan 2012 | 8:39 am

  U. CHICAGO / U. OREGON (US) — New research explains how a few genetic mutations may account for the evolution of complex “molecular machines.”Much of what living cells do is carried out by “molecular machines”—physical complexes of specialized proteins working together to carry out some biological function. How the minute steps of evolution produced these constructions has long puzzled scientists, and provided a favorite target for creationists.

• Shearing forces yield stringy surprise

  Steve Koppes-Chicago

  3 Jan 2012 | 10:41 am

  U. CHICAGO / CORNELL (US) — Microscopic spheres form strings in surprising alignments when suspended in a viscous fluid and sheared between two plates, say researchers.The findings will affect the way scientists think about the properties of such wide-ranging substances as shampoo and futuristic computer chips.

• Language may trump race for young kids

  William Harms-Chicago

  6 Dec 2011 | 8:17 am

  U. CHICAGO (US) — Researchers have found that for younger white children, language can loom larger than race in defining a person’s identity.University of Chicago researchers showed children images and voices of a child and two adults, and asked, “Which adult will the child grow up to be?”

• ‘Small’ talk improves kids’ spatial skills

  William Harms-Chicago

  16 Nov 2011 | 11:15 am

  U. CHICAGO (US) — Preschool children who hear their parents describe the size and shape of objects and then use those words themselves perform on average 23 percent better on spatial skill tests later on.The findings reported in the journal Developmental Science expand on earlier studies that showed that talking about mathematics with children at an early age greatly improved their performance in math.

• Race and US politics: One nation, two worlds

  William Harms-Chicago

  2 Nov 2011 | 8:19 am

  U. CHICAGO (US) — The political outlook of blacks in America has undergone dramatic swings in the last ten years—from Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath to Barack Obama’s election—writes political scientist Michael Dawson in a new book.With another presidential election looming, blacks are again confronting new issues as they judge and sometimes question the impact of Obama’s election, contends Dawson, a professor at the University of Chicago, whose work finds sharp contrasts between how African Americans and whites feel about their country.

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  Futurity.org » University of Colorado at Boulder

• Jump or not jump: Why we chicken out

  Shilo Rea-Carnegie Mellon

  18 Jan 2012 | 4:08 pm

  CARNEGIE MELLON (US) — Whether it’s investing in stocks, bungee jumping, or speaking in public, why do we often plan to take risks but then back down when the moment of truth arrives? This “illusion of courage” is one example of an “empathy gap”—that is, our inability to imagine how we will behave in future emotional situations, argue researchers in a new paper in the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making.

• With less hail, flood risk may rise in Rockies

  Jim Scott CU-Boulder

  12 Jan 2012 | 8:45 am

  U. COLORADO-BOULDER (US) — Climate changes may mean summertime hail could disappear from the eastern flank of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains by 2070, a new study shows.While less hail damage could be good news for gardeners and farmers, a shift from hail to rain can also mean more runoff, which could raise the risk of flash floods.

• Hubble spies farthest galaxy cluster yet

  Jim Scott CU-Boulder

  11 Jan 2012 | 9:45 am

  U. COLORADO-BOULDER (US) — According to researchers, the most distant cluster of galaxies ever observed in the early universe has been discovered.In a random sky survey made in near-infrared light, NASA’s Hubble telescope spied five small galaxies clustered together 13.1 billion light-years away. They are among the brightest galaxies at that epoch and very young, living just 600 million years after the universe’s birth in the Big Bang. One light-year is about 6 trillion miles.

• 50-million-year-old crickets with ears

  Jim Scott CU-Boulder

  9 Jan 2012 | 12:55 pm

  U. COLORADO-BOULDER (US) — A new study of cricket and katydid fossils suggests the insects evolved ears long before bats, their major predator, came along.How did insects get their hearing? The 50-million-year-old cricket and katydid fossils sport some of the best-preserved fossil insect ears described to date, and they are helping researchers trace the evolution of the insect ear.

• Naps help toddlers ‘face’ the day

  Jim Scott CU-Boulder

  4 Jan 2012 | 10:59 am

  U. COLORADO-BOULDER (US) — A new study could be a wake-up call for parents of toddlers: Naps may be more important than you think.The study shows toddlers between two and a half and three years old who miss only a single daily nap show more anxiety, less joy and interest, and a poorer understanding of how to solve problems, says Monique LeBourgeois, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

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  Futurity.org » University of Florida

• Like Lady Gaga, early primate favored claws

  Ron Wayne-U. Florida

  23 Jan 2012 | 10:21 am

  U. FLORIDA (US) — Our primate ancestors may have traded flat nails for raised claws in the name of function, much like pop icons Adele and Lady Gaga are doing today in the name of fashion.New research, reported in the journal PLoS One, examines the first extinct North American primate with a toe bone showing features associated with the presence of both nails and a claw. The finding raises questions about a 2009 study documenting the lack of grooming claws in another primitive primate species said to be a link in the ancestry of apes, monkeys and humans.

• Some chilies trade heat for hardiness

  Vince Stricherz-UW

  16 Jan 2012 | 11:10 am

  U. WASHINGTON (US) — Wild chilies that grow in wet regions turn up the heat as a defense mechanism against a fungus that if left alone could destroy their seeds.The finding helps explain why some chilies are hot and some are not.

• Mouth swab detects zinc deficiency

  Robert Wells-Florida

  20 Dec 2011 | 11:23 am

  U. FLORIDA (US) — Newly discovered biomarkers allow for accurate measurement of human zinc by a simple blood test or mouth swab.Zinc deficiency is a worldwide problem, especially in developing countries where many people have limited access to good sources of the mineral, such as red meat. Signs of zinc deficiency are often skin rashes and infections.

• Fastest-ever data transfer: 186 Gbps

  Sonia Chernobieff-Caltech

  15 Dec 2011 | 9:18 am

  CALTECH (US) — Researchers have set a new world record for data transfer, helping to usher in the next generation of high-speed network technology.At the SuperComputing 2011 (SC11) conference in Seattle during mid-November, the international team transferred data in opposite directions at a combined rate of 186 gigabits per second (Gbps) in a wide-area network circuit.

• Night lights pinpoint disease outbreaks

  Morgan Kelly-Princeton

  13 Dec 2011 | 10:37 am

  PRINCETON (US) — Researchers are using satellite images of nighttime lights to keep tabs on disease hotspots in developing nations.By revealing the population boom that often coincides with seasonal epidemics, the images can indicate where people are clustered by capturing expansion and increasing brightness of lighted areas. The technique accurately indicates fluctuations in population density—and thus the risk of epidemic—that can elude current methods of monitoring outbreaks.

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  Futurity.org » University of Illinois

• Don’t ditch the ‘ums’. Listeners need them

  Steve McGaughey-Illinois

  24 Jan 2012 | 11:05 am

  U. ILLINOIS (US) — Speakers should think twice before eliminating the “ums,” “uhs,” and other speech fillers from their message if they want listeners to recall what was said.As reported in the Journal of Memory and Language, speech fillers actually facilitate recall for listeners.

• Forced flood turned farmland to muck

  Debra Levey Larson-Illinois

  24 Jan 2012 | 10:18 am

  U. ILLINOIS (US) — Deliberate flooding of the Mississippi River in May 2011 is expected to create long-lasting, if not permanent, agricultural damage to hundreds of acres of farmland, according to a new study.When the river rose to 58 feet with a forecast of 60 feet or higher, the emergency plan to naturally or intentionally breach the levees, established more than 80 years earlier, was put in motion.  The flood of 1937 did top the frontline levee and water passed into and through the New Madrid Floodway, but being floodfree since then caused area landowners to oppose the plan being put…

• After exercise, muscles have more stem cells

  Steve McGaughey-Illinois

  18 Jan 2012 | 4:20 pm

  U. ILLINOIS (US) — A single bout of exercise in mice leads to an increase in the type of stem cell that aids in healing injury or disease in skeletal muscle.Researcher Marni Boppart and her collaborators have shown for the first time that just one exercise session in mice leads to an accumulation of what are called muscle-derived mesenchymal stem cells (or mMSCs).

• 50-million-year-old crickets with ears

  Jim Scott CU-Boulder

  9 Jan 2012 | 12:55 pm

  U. COLORADO-BOULDER (US) — A new study of cricket and katydid fossils suggests the insects evolved ears long before bats, their major predator, came along.How did insects get their hearing? The 50-million-year-old cricket and katydid fossils sport some of the best-preserved fossil insect ears described to date, and they are helping researchers trace the evolution of the insect ear.

• Nibbled plants grow back stronger

  Dave Evensen-Illinois

  4 Jan 2012 | 10:47 am

  U. ILLINOIS (US) — A chromosome boost makes some plants come back stronger after they’ve been eaten, researchers say.When these certain herbs are eaten down to the ground, they re-grow even larger, producing significantly more biomass, flowers, fruits, and seeds than plants of the same species that were not eaten.

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  Futurity.org » University of Leeds

• ‘Men get math’ fails to explain gender gap

  Richard Ashby-Leeds

  23 Jan 2012 | 9:46 am

  U. LEEDS (UK) / U. MISSOURI (US) — New research calls into question the theory claiming the “men are better at math” stereotype fuels the gender gap in mathematic fields.Studies suggesting women’s underachievement in math is due to their own poor self-image are fundamentally flawed, say psychologists Gijsbert Stoet of the University of Leeds and David Geary of the University of Missouri. Their findings suggest recent strategies aimed at improving girls’ performance in math—which are based on these studies—are misguided and unlikely to work. This theory, called…

• Middle-lane driving keeps seniors safe

  Richard Ashby-Leeds

  5 Jan 2012 | 10:57 am

  U. LEEDS (UK) —Driving in the middle lane is a built-in mechanism older adults use to stay safe behind the wheel.A new study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance shows how older people naturally adapt when they can no longer move with the freedom they once had. The finding could offer new ways of helping patients recover after losing motor skills, for example, after a stroke.

• Steer clear: Bats 3x less active by roads

  Richard Ashby-Leeds

  4 Nov 2011 | 7:36 am

  U. LEEDS (UK) — Bat activity is as much as three times lower near major roadsides, according to a new study that could have legal consequences for road builders.“UK and European law protects all species, so construction work must not have a negative impact on bat populations,” says John Altringham, professor of biological sciences at the University of Leeds, who led the research. “This study shows that the impact of roads on bats is far-reaching, and road construction projects must take this into account or they are potentially breaking the law.”

• Brain self-protects when running on empty

  Richard Ashby-Leeds

  21 Oct 2011 | 5:40 am

  U. LEEDS (UK) — When running low on energy, the brain is able to protect itself from harm by triggering a protein that reduces the frequency of electrical impulses.Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the findings could lead to new treatments for patients who are at risk of stroke because their energy supply from blood vessels feeding the brain has become compromised.

• Super rare ‘monster’ star discovered

  Richard Ashby-Leeds

  3 Oct 2011 | 9:30 am

  U. LEEDS (UK) — Astrophysicists have identified one of our galaxy’s largest and rarest stars, a yellow hypergiant, caught in its final throes.Despite being cataloged in 1983, this is the first time the star, known as IRAS 17163-3907, has been identified as a yellow hypergiant. Out of a hundred billion stars in the Milky Way, this is only the third such monster star to be discovered.

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  Futurity.org » University of Melbourne

• Blood parasite’s genetic code cracked

  David Scott-Melbourne

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:28 am

  U. MELBOURNE (AUS) — Scientists have sequenced the genome of a parasite responsible for one of the most socioeconomically devastating diseases in the world.An international research team led by Neil Young and Robin Gasser from the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Veterinary Science sequenced the nuclear genome of Schistosoma haematobium from a single pair of tiny worms.

• Gene to blame for infant epilepsy

  David Scott-Melbourne

  19 Jan 2012 | 7:46 am

  U. MELBOURNE (AUS) — Scientists have identified the genetic cause of a rare seizure disorder that affects infants.Benign familial infantile epilepsy (BFIE) has been recognized for some time as infantile seizures, without fever, that run in families but the cause eluded researchers before these findings from the University of Melbourne.

• Therapy strikes protein in smokers’ lungs

  Rebecca Scott-Melbourne

  17 Jan 2012 | 10:29 am

  U. MELBOURNE (AUS) — A new treatment for smoking-related lung diseases targets a protein that triggers inflammation and keeps lungs from healing.The discovery by researchers at the University of Melbourne and Harvard University could dramatically improve treatments and slow the progression of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), which includes the incurable condition emphysema.

• 3D model reveals enzyme’s attack

  Sally Sherwen-Melbourne

  6 Jan 2012 | 10:29 am

  U. MELBOURNE (AUS) —Scientists have determined the structure of the enzyme endomannosidase, which clarifies how viruses like HIV and Hepatitis C hijack human enzymes.The findings open the door to the development of new drugs to combat these deadly viruses that infect more than 180 million people worldwide.

• Given time, stem cells may mutate

  Diane Squires-Melbourne

  13 Dec 2011 | 9:12 am

  U. MELBOURNE (AUS) / U. SHEFFIELD (UK) — A new study reveals how the genome of 138 stem cell lines of diverse ethnic backgrounds changed when the cells were grown in the laboratory.Martin Pera, co-author of the paper and chair of stem cell science at the University of Melbourne, says the work “shows clearly that during prolonged culture, stem cells can acquire genetic changes similar to those seen in human cancers.

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  Futurity.org » University of Michigan

• Some chilies trade heat for hardiness

  Vince Stricherz-UW

  16 Jan 2012 | 11:10 am

  U. WASHINGTON (US) — Wild chilies that grow in wet regions turn up the heat as a defense mechanism against a fungus that if left alone could destroy their seeds.The finding helps explain why some chilies are hot and some are not.

• Mutation tied to cancer risk in young men

  Dianne Shaw-UNC

  12 Jan 2012 | 3:52 pm

  UNC-CHAPEL HILL / U. MICHIGAN (US) — After a 20-year quest to find a genetic driver for prostate cancer that strikes men at younger ages, researchers have zeroed in on a rare, inherited mutation.Researchers found that men who inherit this mutation have a 10 to 20 times higher risk of developing prostate cancer. A report on the discovery is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

• To cut holiday debt, sort interest rates

  Neil Schoenherr-WUSTL

  5 Jan 2012 | 9:26 am

  WASHINGTON U.-ST.LOUIS (US) — What’s the best way to tackle holiday debt? Pay down the loan with the highest interest rate first, a new study finds.Consumers, however, often take a slightly different approach, according to a consumer behavior expert at Washington University in St. Louis.

• Obesity grows in free markets

  Laua Bailey-Michigan

  30 Dec 2011 | 9:38 am

  U. MICHIGAN (US) — New research suggests obesity may be one of the unintended side effects of free market policies.A study of 26 wealthy nations shows that countries with a higher density of fast food restaurants per capita had much higher obesity rates compared to countries with a lower density of fast food restaurants per capita.

• Loudest threat to hearing: MP3 players

  Laua Bailey-Michigan

  30 Dec 2011 | 8:30 am

  U. MICHIGAN (US) — MP3 players and stereos are the source of more harmful noise exposure than work and city transit, say researchers.Nine out of ten city dwellers may have enough harmful noise exposure to risk hearing loss, and most of that exposure comes from leisure activities.

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  Futurity.org » University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Fiber may raise risk of intestinal disease

  Patric Lane-UNC

  26 Jan 2012 | 12:54 pm

  UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Eating a high fiber diet does not lower the risk of developing a disease of the large intestine, according to a new study that finds the opposite appears to be true.Diverticulosis—in which pouches develop in the colon wall—affects about one-third of adults over age 60 in the United States. Although most cases are asymptomatic, when complications develop they can be severe, resulting in infections, bleeding, intestinal perforations, and even death. Health care associated with such complications costs an estimated $2.5 billion per year.

• Preschool pays off in college and beyond

  Patric Lane-UNC

  20 Jan 2012 | 1:02 pm

  UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Adults who participated in a high quality early education program in the 1970s are still reaping benefits from the experience, a new study shows.The findings, published online in the journal Developmental Psychology, offer new data on people who participated in the Abecedarian Project, a carefully controlled scientific study of the potential benefits of early childhood education for children from low-income families who were at risk of developmental delays or academic failure.

• Most women can skip frequent bone tests

  Tom Hughes-UNC

  20 Jan 2012 | 10:16 am

  UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Older women who receive normal bone mineral density scores may not need to be screened again for 10 years, new research shows.Since 2002, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended that women ages 65 and older be routinely screened for osteoporosis and has suggested that a two-year screening interval might be appropriate. However, what length the screening interval should be is a topic that remains undecided.

• Mutation tied to cancer risk in young men

  Dianne Shaw-UNC

  12 Jan 2012 | 3:52 pm

  UNC-CHAPEL HILL / U. MICHIGAN (US) — After a 20-year quest to find a genetic driver for prostate cancer that strikes men at younger ages, researchers have zeroed in on a rare, inherited mutation.Researchers found that men who inherit this mutation have a 10 to 20 times higher risk of developing prostate cancer. A report on the discovery is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

• Cholesterol drugs lower stroke risk, too

  Leslie Lang-UNC

  9 Jan 2012 | 9:12 am

  UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Cholesterol-lowering drugs may have a second benefit: lowering the odds of a stroke or heart attack due to blood clots.People with high cholesterol are at risk of heart attack and stroke because atherosclerotic plaques within their arteries can rupture, triggering the formation of a blood clot called an occlusive thrombus that cuts off the blood supply to their heart or brain.

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  Futurity.org » University of Nottingham

• Better crops from the roots up

  Emma Thorne-Nottingham

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:17 am

  U. NOTTINGHAM (UK) — By altering root growth, scientists believe they are a step closer to breeding hardier crops that are more adaptable to environmental conditions and better able to fend off parasites.Plant root biology is essential for healthy plant growth and, while the so-called hidden half of the plant has often been overlooked, its importance is becoming increasingly recognized by scientists.

• Clinical trial results in US go unreported

  Emma Thorne-Nottingham

  6 Jan 2012 | 11:12 am

  U. NOTTINGHAM (UK) — Less than 25 percent of the clinical trials completed in the United States are posted in a publicly available database, despite a recent law that compels them to do so, a new study reports.A key principle of best practice in the conduct of clinical trials is that a summary of the trial should be freely available while the study is ongoing and that, on completion of the study, the results should also be easily and quickly accessed, says Andrew Prayle, clinical research fellow at the University of Nottingham.

• Top 10 stories of 2011

  Futurity-Jenny Leonard

  29 Dec 2011 | 3:28 pm

  FUTURITY — From sex appeal to fish oil to ancient buckles, here’s a look back at some of the top research news of 2011. 4-D coming to a universe near you? First sex boosts guys’ body image Future of hard drives: uranium? Paralyzed man’s mind moves prosthetic arm Sex appeal: Women kiss science goodbye How much fish oil is too much? Alaskan dig turns up ancient ‘buckle’ Why we quit when others succeed Aging musicians have sharp brains Wanted: Gender-free job ads

• Molecules fit together to form random tiles

  Emma Thorne-Nottingham

  6 Dec 2011 | 11:09 am

  U. NOTTINGHAM (UK) — Scientists have discovered they can prompt tiny flat molecules to fit together in a seemingly random pattern by adjusting the conditions in which the experiment is conducted.The researchers have been studying molecules that resemble tiny rhombus/diamond shaped tiles, with a side length of around 2 nanometers, or 2 billionths of a meter.

• Will worms in space lead to life on Mars?

  Lindsay Brooke-Nottingham

  2 Dec 2011 | 9:12 am

  U. NOTTINGHAM (UK) — A microscopic worm may offer clues to how humans will cope with long-term space exploration.New research shows that in space, C. elegans develop from egg to adulthood and produces progeny exactly how they do on earth, making the worms an ideal and cost-effective experimental system to investigate the effects of long-duration space travel.

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  Futurity.org » University of Oregon

• How ‘molecular machines’ evolved

  John Easton-Chicago

  11 Jan 2012 | 8:39 am

  U. CHICAGO / U. OREGON (US) — New research explains how a few genetic mutations may account for the evolution of complex “molecular machines.”Much of what living cells do is carried out by “molecular machines”—physical complexes of specialized proteins working together to carry out some biological function. How the minute steps of evolution produced these constructions has long puzzled scientists, and provided a favorite target for creationists.

• ‘Speedy’ adaptation genes may save fish

  Jim Barlow-Oregon

  2 Dec 2011 | 1:39 pm

  U. OREGON (US) — Two distinct populations of rainbow trout—one in Alaska, the other in Idaho—share a genetic trait that could have huge implications for fisheries, conservation, and management, according to new research.The common trait is a similar rapid rate of development that has allowed these different salmomid subspecies to adapt to their native rivers in Alaska and Idaho.

• Cancer drug sticks to RNA like glue

  Jim Barlow-Oregon

  29 Nov 2011 | 9:40 am

  U. OREGON (US) — A common cancer drug binds quickly and firmly to RNA, a finding that has the potential to open new targets for drug delivery with fewer toxic side effects, a new study shows. Researchers have long known that cisplatin, a platinum compound used to fight tumors in nearly 70 percent of all human cancers, attaches to DNA, but its attachment to RNA was thought to be fleeting, says Victoria J. DeRose, professor of bioinorganic chemistry, biophysical chemistry, and chemical biology at the University of Oregon, who decided to take a closer look due to recent discoveries of critical…

• Scientists uncover soybeans’ Asian roots

  Michael Kennedy-Toronto

  29 Nov 2011 | 8:35 am

  U. TORONTO (CAN) / U. OREGON (US) — New research challenges many of the long-held beliefs about when and where humans first began to domesticate soybeans—and specifically, increase its seed size.“Soybeans appeared to be linked to humans almost as soon as villages were established in northern China,” says Gary Crawford, an anthropology professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga. “Soybean seems to be a plant that does well in human impacted habitats. In turn, humans began to learn how tasty soybean was and how useful it was.” While previous estimates had put…

• Stable liquid stores hydrogen

  Jim Barlow-Oregon

  23 Nov 2011 | 9:33 am

  U. OREGON (US) — A new liquid material stores hydrogen safely at room temperature and is both air- and moisture-stable, a step forward in efforts to develop a carrier for hydrogen fuel.“In addition to renewable hydrogen production, the development of hydrogen storage technologies continues to be an important task toward establishing a hydrogen-based energy infrastructure,” says Shih-Yuan Liu, professor of chemistry at the University of Oregon. Beyond temperature and stability properties, the boron-nitrogen-based material also features hydrogen desorption—without any phase…

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  Futurity.org » University of Pittsburgh

• Most women can skip frequent bone tests

  Tom Hughes-UNC

  20 Jan 2012 | 10:16 am

  UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Older women who receive normal bone mineral density scores may not need to be screened again for 10 years, new research shows.Since 2002, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended that women ages 65 and older be routinely screened for osteoporosis and has suggested that a two-year screening interval might be appropriate. However, what length the screening interval should be is a topic that remains undecided.

• Teen brain may be primed for addiction

  Anita Srikameswaran-Pittsburgh

  18 Jan 2012 | 9:07 am

  U. PITTSBURGH (US) — The teenage brain may be particularly wired to develop disorders like addiction and depression, a new study shows.Researchers compared the brain activity of adolescent and adult rats involved in a task in which they anticipated a reward. The researchers found increased brain cell activity in the adolescent rats’ brains in an unusual area: the dorsal striatum (DS)—a site commonly associated with habit formation, decision-making, and motivated learning.

• From seashell colors, a snapshot of evolution

  Anita Srikameswaran-Pittsburgh

  16 Jan 2012 | 10:14 am

  U. PITTSBURGH (US) — Researchers studying 19 different sea snail species have used a new technique to model the pigmentation patterns of mollusk shells, a discovery that sheds light on how ancient nervous systems evolved. “There is no evolutionary record of nervous systems, but what you’re seeing on the surface of seashells is a space-time record, like the recording of brain-wave activity in an electroencephalogram (EEG),” says G. Bard Ermentrout, professor of computational biology at the University of Pittsburgh.Seashells differ substantially between the closely related Conus…

• Microcapsules quickly fix nanoscale cracks

  Anita Srikameswaran-Pittsburgh

  12 Jan 2012 | 1:57 pm

  U. PITTSBURGH (US) — Researchers propose a “repair-and-go” approach to fixing malfunctions caused by small surface cracks on any digital device or part before it hits store shelves.Although some scratches on digital devices are easy to see and repair, researchers have addressed hard-to-pinpoint nanoscale scratches, which can cause the device as a whole to malfunction. Findings are published in Nature Nanotechnology.

• Milky Way is ‘white as snow’

  Anita Srikameswaran-Pittsburgh

  12 Jan 2012 | 10:24 am

  U. PITTSBURGH (US) — The most accurate determination yet of the color of the Milky Way galaxy finds it is pure white—”almost mirroring a fresh spring snowfall,” astrophysicists say.While color is one of the most important properties of galaxies that astronomers study, it has been difficult to get that measurement for the Milky Way because our solar system is located well within the galaxy so clouds of gas and dust obscure all but the closest regions from view.

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  Futurity.org » University of Rochester

• Odd eclipse reveals ‘Saturn on steroids’

  Peter Iglinski-Rochester

  12 Jan 2012 | 12:04 am

  U. ROCHESTER (US) — A team of astrophysicists has discovered a Saturn-like ring system in the constellation Centaurus.Led by Eric Mamajek , assistant professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Rochester, and the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, scientists used data from the international SuperWASP (Wide Angle Search for Planets) and All Sky Automated Survey (ASAS) project to study the light curves of young Sun-like stars in the Scorpius-Centaurus association—the nearest region of recent massive star formation to the Sun. Imagine yourself sitting in a park on a sunny…

• Myths and truths: Pregnancy, weight, and risks

  Emily Boynton-Rochester

  27 Dec 2011 | 10:31 am

  U. ROCHESTER (US) — Despite excessive caloric intake, many obese women are actually deficient in vitamins vital to a healthy pregnancy.Together, obesity and pregnancy present a unique set of challenges that women and their doctors must tackle in order to achieve the best possible outcome for mom and baby.

• Routine hits may injure teen athlete’s brain

  Leslie Orr-Rochester

  15 Nov 2011 | 10:01 am

  U. ROCHESTER (US) — Brain scans of high school football and hockey players showed subtle injury after routine hits to the head during normal play.The research, reported online in the journal Magnetic Resonance Imaging, is preliminary, involving only a small sample of athletes, but raises significant questions about the consequences of the mildest head injury among youths whose brains are still developing, researchers say.

• Method weeds out best stem cells for MS

  Ellen Goldbaum-Buffalo

  19 Oct 2011 | 10:07 am

  U. BUFFALO/ U. ROCHESTER (US) — Scientists have discovered a precise way to isolate the specific stem cells needed to treat multiple sclerosis and a variety of childhood diseases caused by the brain’s inability to make myelin.Myelin is the crucial fatty material that coats neurons and allows them to signal effectively. The research, reported online in Nature Biotechnology, overcomes an important barrier to using stem cells to treat demyelinating diseases.

• Inflammation overload may harm heart

  Karen Finney-UC Davis

  13 Oct 2011 | 10:19 am

  UC DAVIS (US) — New research about inflammation’s role in heart disease underscores the need to consider a broader range of immune-system factors to find accurate biomarkers, especially in relation to age.A study published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology shows that systemic inflammation, the immune system’s defense against disease or injury that can contribute to cancer and diabetes, increases with age in people with heart-disease symptoms, but inflammation specific to vascular disease does not.

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  Futurity.org » University of Sheffield

• Harvest biofuel algae with microbubbles

  Shemina Davis-Sheffield

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:27 pm

  U. SHEFFIELD (UK) — Thanks to microbubble technology, harvesting algae for use as a biofuel could become easier and more affordable.The technique, developed at the University of Sheffield, builds on previous research in which microbubbles were used to improve the way algae is cultivated. Previously, there has been no cost-effective method of harvesting and removing the water from the algae for it to be processed effectively.

• Monkey-brained robot ‘sees’ with whiskers

  Paul Mannion-Sheffield

  26 Jan 2012 | 4:26 pm

  U. SHEFFIELD (UK) — Researchers have fitted a robotic rat with a monkey brain model in order to increase the machine’s perception.By fitting the monkey brain model into an existing robotic rat, which the University of Sheffield researchers had already developed, it was able to feel different textured surfaces, such as rough and smooth carpets, as it scuttled across them with its rat-like whiskers. As reported in the journal Interface, the machine also made better decisions with its whiskers than any previous method tested.

• Given time, stem cells may mutate

  Diane Squires-Melbourne

  13 Dec 2011 | 9:12 am

  U. MELBOURNE (AUS) / U. SHEFFIELD (UK) — A new study reveals how the genome of 138 stem cell lines of diverse ethnic backgrounds changed when the cells were grown in the laboratory.Martin Pera, co-author of the paper and chair of stem cell science at the University of Melbourne, says the work “shows clearly that during prolonged culture, stem cells can acquire genetic changes similar to those seen in human cancers.

• Many in UK willing to pay for green space

  Amy Stone-Sheffield

  21 Nov 2011 | 10:48 am

  U. SHEFFIELD (UK) — People in the UK are willing to pay more—in taxes or rent/mortgage payments—in order to get greener urban spaces with more tree coverage, according to a new survey.Members of the public in Sheffield and Manchester were shown images of how local areas could be developed in the future and were asked how much more they would be willing to pay for each scenario.

• Whiskers’ key role in reptile-mammal split

  Shemina Davis-Sheffield

  11 Nov 2011 | 11:48 am

  U. SHEFFIELD (US) — New research comparing rats and mice with marsupials suggests moveable whiskers were an important milestone in the evolution of mammals from reptiles.Using high-speed digital video recording and automatic tracking, Tony Prescott, a psychology professor at the University of Sheffield, and colleagues have shed light on how rodents such as mice and rats move their whiskers back-and-forth at high speed—and in varying ways to actively sense the environment around them in a behavior known as whisking.

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  Futurity.org » University of Southern California

• Pan-fried fish may raise cancer risk

  Alison Trinidad-USC

  25 Jan 2012 | 10:24 am

  USC (US) — The type of fish and how it is cooked may affect whether the fish offers protection against—or raises the risk for—developing prostate cancer, new research shows.Previous studies have emphasized the health benefits of dark fish—rich in omega-3 fatty acids—linking their consumption to the prevention of various diseases.

• Hormone signals connect obesity, cancer

  Leslie Ridgeway-USC

  5 Jan 2012 | 12:25 pm

  USC (US) — A new study finds that a hormone signaling process is a key link between obesity and the development of cancer.Researchers at the University of Southern California have discovered that a signaling process between a hormone receptor produced by the brain and a hormone produced by fat tissue is a characteristic feature of a variety of tumor-initiating stem cells. The findings, which surfaced while the researchers were trying to determine what distinguishes cancer stem cells from normal tumor cells, appear in journal Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences.

• Open ‘back door’: How to reprogram cells

  Alison Trinidad-USC

  9 Dec 2011 | 11:38 am

  USC (US) — Proteins that can reprogram switched-off genes offer new clues to how cells can be reprogrammed, from skin, for example, to muscle or vice versa.In healthy bodies, liver cells beget liver cells, while skin cells beget skin cells. Previous research, however, has shown that—sometimes—cells can be reprogrammed. This phenomenon has stumped scientists because there are cellular mechanisms in place to prevent such changes from occurring.

• How estrogen turns on genes in breast cancer

  Alison Trinidad-USC

  17 Nov 2011 | 11:28 am

  USC (US) — New research has determined the key process by which estrogen, the female sex hormone, activates genes in breast cancer cells, a finding that could eventually lead to new treatments for the disease.Researchers found that a protein, TIP60, recognizes when a common chemical process called methylation occurs in chromatin, the material that enfolds all genes.

• Black teens likely to drink if friends do

  Alison Trinidad-USC

  3 Nov 2011 | 6:15 am

  USC (US) — Black middle school students whose close friends drink alcohol are more likely to drink alcohol in high school than their white classmates, new research shows.“As you age, both the perception of alcohol use and actual use increase,” says Mary Ann Pentz, professor of preventive medicine at University of Southern California and director of the Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research.

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  Futurity.org » University of Texas at Austin

• Cell’s mechanical changes nudge cancer

  Tim Green-U. Texas

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:22 am

  U. TEXAS-AUSTIN (US) — Mechanical property changes in cells may be responsible for the progression of cancer—a discovery that could pave the way for new ways to predict, treat, and prevent the disease.To present a unique physics-based perspective, researchers devised a 3-D cancer model that shows that softening of cells and changes in cell binding cause cancerous behavior. These mechanical property changes cause cells to divide uncontrollably—making them less likely to die and resulting in malignant tumor growth.

• Battery drain may influence app design

  Daniel Oppenheimer-U. Texas

  24 Jan 2012 | 3:47 pm

  U. TEXAS-AUSTIN (US) — The first systematic power profiles of microprocessors could help lower the energy consumption of small and large devices, say researchers.The results may point the way to how companies like Google, Apple, Intel, and Microsoft can make software and hardware that will lower the energy costs of very small and very large devices.

• Electronics keep their cool with graphene

  Tim Green-U. Texas

  11 Jan 2012 | 9:03 am

  U. TEXAS-AUSTIN (US) — A new form of graphene could prevent laptops and other electronics from overheating, one of the largest hurdles to building smaller, more powerful devices.Reported online in the journal Nature Materials, researchers demonstrate for the first time that the new form is 60 percent more effective at managing and transferring heat than normal graphene.

• ‘Shadow state’ boosts solar cells by 40%

  Lee Clippard-Texas

  27 Dec 2011 | 10:53 am

  U. TEXAS (US) — Recent experiments show it’s possible to double the number of electrons harvested from one photon of sunlight using an organic plastic semiconductor material.“Plastic semiconductor solar cell production has great advantages, one of which is low cost,” says Xiaoyang Zhu, a professor of chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin. He and his team report their discovery in the journal Science.

• Global giving sparks charity at home

  Tim Green-U. Texas

  27 Dec 2011 | 10:02 am

  U. TEXAS-AUSTIN (US) — People are more inspired to give when they see others contributing their time and money to a good cause outside their home state.In a series of experiments, psychology professor Marlone Henderson and colleagues at the University of Texas at Austin examined how physical and social distance affects people’s willingness to participate in philanthropy.

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  Futurity.org » University of Toronto

• ‘Tulip’ sea creature defies definition

  Kim Luke-Toronto

  19 Jan 2012 | 10:55 am

  U. TORONTO (CAN) — A bizarre creature that lived in the ocean more than 500 million years ago has emerged from the famous Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale in the Canadian Rockies.Officially named Siphusauctum gregarium, fossils reveal a tulip-shaped creature that is about the length of a dinner knife (approximately 20 centimeters) and has a unique filter feeding system.

• Massive black holes may be quasar relics

  Nicole Casal Moore-Michigan

  14 Dec 2011 | 7:00 pm

  U. MICHIGAN (US) — Two newly discovered black holes that are 10 billion times the mass of the sun—the largest ever found—may be the fossil remains of quasars from the early universe.Black holes are dense concentrations of matter that produce such strong gravitational fields that not even light can escape. These new ones are at the centers of two elliptical galaxies more than 300 million light years from Earth.

• Massive black holes shatter record

  Kim Luke-Toronto

  6 Dec 2011 | 12:44 pm

  U. TORONTO (CAN) — An international team of astronomers has discovered two gigantic black holes with masses about 10 billion times the mass of our sun.These black holes have a mass more than 50 percent greater than any other previously measured.

• Nest of massive stars named ‘Dragonfish’

  Johannes Hirn-Toronto

  2 Dec 2011 | 11:13 am

  U. TORONTO (CAN) — The most numerous batch of young, supermassive stars yet observed in our galaxy includes several hundreds of “blue stars,” which are dozens of times heavier than our sun.The light these newborn stars emit is so intense it has pushed out and heated the gas that gave them birth, carving out a glowing hollow shell about a hundred light-years across, according to the study published in Astrophysical Journal Letters.

• Why smart managers tell stupid lies

  Ken McGuffin-Toronto

  30 Nov 2011 | 2:24 pm

  U. TORONTO (CAN) — A new study may explain why corporate managers, like those in the Enron scandal, lie about their companies’ earnings, even though it will hurt their own careers and the businesses they work for.A limited capacity to  see the whole picture—known as “bounded rationality”—combined with a faulty ethical compass are two big reasons, shows a new study from the University of Toronto. The study, reported in the journal Accounting and Public and Policy, also finds that shareholders are just as guilty of the same weaknesses and that insider trading is linked to…

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  Futurity.org » University of Warwick

• Gene discovered in corn ‘feeds the seeds’

  Anna Blackaby-Warwick

  17 Jan 2012 | 3:42 pm

  U. WARWICK (US) — Scientists have discovered a “nourishing gene” that controls the transfer of nutrients from plant to seed.The findings could help increase global food production, say the researchers.

• Magnetic ‘blueprints’ show brain at work

  Peter Dunn-Warwick

  16 Jan 2012 | 11:32 am

  U. WARWICK (UK) — Technology developed for fusion plasma may also allow better noninvasive observation of brain activity.Neuroscientists are limited to external sensing when studying live brains, unless they undertake invasive techniques. One key method researchers use is magnetoencephalography (MEG), in which sensors measure the tiny magnetic fields outside the head that are generated as our brains think.

• Warm soil and hormones wake seedlings

  Anna Blackaby-Warwick

  19 Dec 2011 | 3:06 pm

  U. WARWICK (UK) — Dormant seeds in the soil detect and respond to seasonal changes in soil temperature by changing their sensitivity to plant hormones, new research has found.This sensitivity alters the depth of dormancy, indicating to the seed when it is the right time of year to germinate and grow.

• Corkscrew molecules zap bugs like E. coli

  Anna Blackaby-Warwick

  14 Dec 2011 | 9:23 am

  U. WARWICK (US) — Scientists at the University of Warwick have taken inspiration from corkscrew structures found in nature to develop a new weapon in the fight against infections like E. coli and MRSA.Researchers have created a new synthetic class of helix-shaped molecules which they believe could be a key tool in the worldwide battle against antibiotic resistance.

• Confidence boosts women’s spatial skills

  Anna Blackaby-Warwick

  12 Dec 2011 | 2:06 pm

  WARWICK (UK) — Confidence levels play a key role in women’s ability to perform spatial tasks, such as parking a car and reading a map, a new study shows.Previous studies have established that women are slower and less accurate than men on a range of spatial tasks.

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  Futurity.org » University of Washington

• Some chilies trade heat for hardiness

  Vince Stricherz-UW

  16 Jan 2012 | 11:10 am

  U. WASHINGTON (US) — Wild chilies that grow in wet regions turn up the heat as a defense mechanism against a fungus that if left alone could destroy their seeds.The finding helps explain why some chilies are hot and some are not.

• Gut bacteria ‘biome’ differs in obese people

  Leila Gray-UW

  16 Jan 2012 | 9:29 am

  U. WASHINGTON (US) — For the first time, the vast array of bacteria in the human gut has been studied as a complex, integrated biological system, rather than a set of separate species.The new approach, which reveals patterns that correspond with body weight, treats the human microbiome as a cohesive “supra-organism,” in which genes from multiple microbial species act in concert, as if they were part of a single organism, says Elhanan Borenstein, assistant professor of genome sciences at the University of Washington. “Our research introduces a novel framework, applying…

• Nitrogen ‘double whammy’ could alter lakes

  Sandra Hines-UW

  21 Dec 2011 | 12:48 pm

  U. WASHINGTON (US) — Nitrogen derived from human activities has polluted lakes for more than a century. The fingerprint is evident even in remote lakes thousands of miles from the nearest city.The findings are based on historical changes in the chemical composition of bottom deposits in 36 lakes using an approach similar to aquatic archeology.

• Thoughts of suicide start young

  Molly McElroy-UW

  15 Dec 2011 | 7:52 am

  U. WASHINGTON-SEATTLE (US) — Suicidal thoughts and behaviors seen in teens may begin much earlier in life than previously thought.While about one of nine youths attempt suicide by the time they graduate from high school, new findings reveal that a significant proportion make their first suicide attempt in elementary or middle school. In a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, nearly 40 percent of young adults who said they had tried suicide said that they made their first attempt before entering high school.

• Tropics may speed glacial melt

  Vince Stricherz-UW

  14 Dec 2011 | 8:13 am

  U. WASHINGTON (US) — Accelerated melting of two outlet glaciers in the Antarctic is likely due in part to an increase in sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean.Sea-level pressure north of the Amundsen Sea that’s higher than normal sets up westerly winds that push surface water away from the glaciers and allow warmer deep water to rise to the surface under the edges of the glaciers, says Eric Steig, a University of Washington professor of Earth and space sciences.

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  Futurity.org » Vanderbilt University

• Tiny planet triplets orbit dwarf star

  Deborah Williams-Hedges-Caltech

  13 Jan 2012 | 10:55 am

  CALTECH (US) — Astronomers have discovered the three smallest confirmed planets ever detected outside our solar system.The trio of new planets that are smaller than Earth and appear rocky, orbit a single star too closely to be in its habitable zone—the ring-shaped region around a star where the temperature is mild enough for liquid water, and possibly life, to exist.

• Paired nanoribbons boost conductivity

  David Salisbury-VU

  4 Jan 2012 | 10:34 am

  VANDERBILT (US) — A new way to enhance thermal conductivity may help engineers manage thermal effects in smart phones, computers, and lasers, say researchers.Deyu Li, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Vanderbilt University, and colleagues discovered that the thermal conductivity of a pair of thin strips of material called boron nanoribbons can be enhanced by up to 45 percent depending on the process that they used to stick the two ribbons together.

• Fastest-ever data transfer: 186 Gbps

  Sonia Chernobieff-Caltech

  15 Dec 2011 | 9:18 am

  CALTECH (US) — Researchers have set a new world record for data transfer, helping to usher in the next generation of high-speed network technology.At the SuperComputing 2011 (SC11) conference in Seattle during mid-November, the international team transferred data in opposite directions at a combined rate of 186 gigabits per second (Gbps) in a wide-area network circuit.

• ‘Hazard pay’ for sexual harassment

  Amy Wolf-Vanderbilt

  22 Nov 2011 | 6:08 am

  VANDERBILT (US) — Both men and women workers who are at risk of sexual harassment on the job are paid more for exposure to that risk.But while women are six times more likely to experience sexual harassment than men, they are paid 25 cents per hour more than workers who are not at risk—compared to men who receive 50 cents per hour more.

• Largest ever human-engineered protein

  David Salisbury-VU

  18 Nov 2011 | 9:01 am

  VANDERBILT (US) — If Guinness World Records had a category for the largest human-designed protein, then a team of Vanderbilt University chemists would have just claimed it.They have designed and successfully synthesized a variant of a protein that nature uses to manufacture the essential amino acid histidine. It is more than twice the size of the previous record holder, a protein created by researchers at the University of Washington in 2003.

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  Futurity.org » Washington University in St. Louis

• Autism: Kids prefer solo, not social, screen time

  Jessica Martin-WUSTL

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:06 am

  WASHINGTON U.-ST. LOUIS / U. MISSOURI (US) — Children with autism tend to spend their “screen time” alone, as opposed to using social media.“We found a very high rate of use of solitary screen-based media such as video games and television with a markedly lower rate of use of social interactive media, including email,” says Paul Shattuck, assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

• Tongue has a taste for fat

  Jim Dryden-WUSTL

  24 Jan 2012 | 10:48 am

  WASHINGTON U.-ST. LOUIS (US) — Taste buds on the tongue recognize and favor fat, according to a new study that finds variations in a gene can make people more or less sensitive to the taste.Published online in the Journal of Lipid Research, the study is the first to identify that people with a particular variant of the CD36 gene are far more sensitive to the presence of fat than others.

• T cells help immune system remember invaders

  Michael Purdy-WUSTL

  24 Jan 2012 | 10:15 am

  WASHINGTON U.-ST. LOUIS (US) — After defeating an infection, the immune system creates a memory of the vanquished attacker to make it easier to identify and eliminate it in the future.New research finds the cells that store these memories—memory T cells—are able to enhance their own survival by packing themselves full of mitochondria—energy generators that help the cells live a long time and allow them to recognize a returning invader.

• Powerful people feel taller than they are

  Neil Schoenherr-WUSTL

  23 Jan 2012 | 1:40 pm

  WASHINGTON U.-ST. LOUIS (US) — Power gives people an exaggerated sense of their own height, a new study finds.In a series of three experiments, researchers found a definite correlation between feeling powerful and feeling tall, and even suggest that future research may want to examine whether employers should consider placing short high-ranking workers in higher offices to raise their psychological sense of power. “Height is often used as a metaphor for power,” says Michelle M. Duguid, assistant professor of organizational behavior at Washington University in St. Louis.

• To cut holiday debt, sort interest rates

  Neil Schoenherr-WUSTL

  5 Jan 2012 | 9:26 am

  WASHINGTON U.-ST.LOUIS (US) — What’s the best way to tackle holiday debt? Pay down the loan with the highest interest rate first, a new study finds.Consumers, however, often take a slightly different approach, according to a consumer behavior expert at Washington University in St. Louis.

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  Futurity.org » Yale University

• Immune suppressants may curb diabetes

  Helen Dodson-Yale

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:51 pm

  YALE (US) — A new study has uncovered how targeted suppression of the immune system may prevent type 1 diabetes or induce sustained remission.Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease—the immune system goes into overdrive and attacks the body’s normal cells instead of foreign invaders. In type 1 diabetes, the immune system targets and eventually destroys the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas, leading to increased levels of blood sugars.

• ‘Extinct’ tortoise found in Galapagos

  Bill Hathaway-Yale

  9 Jan 2012 | 12:26 pm

  YALE (US) — Dozens of giant tortoises of a species believed extinct for 150 years may still be living at a remote location in the Galápagos Islands, according to a new genetic analysis.The findings, published in the journal Current Biology, suggest direct descendants of at least 38 purebred individuals of Chelonoidis elephantopus live on the volcanic slopes of the northern shore of Isabela Island—200 miles from their ancestral home of Floreana Island, where they disappeared after being hunted by whalers.

• New black holes pop up in young galaxy

  Eric Gershon-Yale

  7 Dec 2011 | 8:20 am

  YALE (US) — Astronomers have discovered what appear to be three fast-growing, supermassive black holes in a relatively young, still-forming galaxy.“As far as the host galaxy is concerned, these just popped into existence,” says Kevin Schawinski, a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University. “They’re feeding on material about as fast as they can.”

• Carbon dioxide: The global heat dial?

  Elizabeth Gardner-Purdue

  7 Dec 2011 | 8:00 am

  PURDUE / YALE (US) — A drop in carbon dioxide appears to be the driving force that led to the Antarctic ice sheet’s formation, according to a recent study of molecules from ancient algae found in deep-sea core samples.The key role of the greenhouse gas in one of the biggest climate events in Earth’s history supports carbon dioxide’s importance in past climate change and implicates it as a significant force in present and future climate.

• Hospital transfers too slow for heart patients

  Karen Peart-Yale

  30 Nov 2011 | 10:43 am

  YALE (US) — Most heart attack patients transferred between hospitals for angioplasty are not moved as quickly as they should be, according to the first national study of “door-in door-out” transfer time.Fewer than 10 percent of heart attack patients transferred from their initial hospital to one offering the life-saving procedure are transferred within the recommended 30 minutes, according to the study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.