Current Event Articles: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News - Discovery of how coral reefs adapt to global warming could aid reef restoration

Discovery of how coral reefs adapt to global warming could aid reef restoration
June 24, 2010 at 2:00 AM

Discoveries about tropical coral reefs are expected to be invaluable in efforts to restore the corals, which are succumbing to bleaching and other diseases at an unprecedented rate as ocean temperatures rise worldwide.

Polio research gives new insight into tackling vaccine-derived poliovirus
June 24, 2010 at 2:00 AM

A vaccine-derived strain of poliovirus that has spread in recent years is serious but it can be tackled with an existing vaccine, according to a new study.

Abusive mothering aggravates the impact of stress hormones
June 24, 2010 at 2:00 AM

In a new study, researchers have dissected the behavior of mother rats and their infant pups, modeling nurturing by stroking and abuse with electric shock. In this animal model of infant abuse, they took into consideration the unique infant neurobehavioral learning attachment system that ensures infant rats' attachment to their caregiver regardless of the quality of care received.

New areas prone to moderate earthquakes identified in Iberian Peninsula
June 24, 2010 at 2:00 AM

Some areas of the Iberian Peninsula, where earthquakes of moderate magnitude have never yet been recorded, such as certain parts of the Cordillera Cantábrica mountain range, the far west of the Cordilleras Béticas mountains and the north of Valencia, could have the potential to generate such quakes, according to a new study.

Early results from the world's brightest X-ray source
June 23, 2010 at 11:00 PM

The first published research to emerge from the SLAC linear collider since it was reconfigured as an ultra-bright, high-energy free electron laser offers a high speed closeup of ionizing nitrogen gas.

Loneliness, poor health appear to be linked
June 23, 2010 at 11:00 PM

Two studies have found that hoarding friends doesn't necessarily diminish forlorn feelings and that loneliness is a matter of perception. Superficial relationships, researchers say, can not only result in feelings of detachment, but also contribute to certain health-related problems.

Lowering homocysteine levels with folic acid and vitamin B12 does not appear to reduce risk of heart attack, stroke, study finds
June 23, 2010 at 11:00 PM

Patients who had experienced a heart attack and lowered their blood homocysteine levels with folic acid and vitamin B12 supplementation did not have an associated lower risk of heart attack, coronary death or stroke, according to a new study. However, the researchers did find that folic acid supplementation did not increase the risk of cancer, which has been speculated.

Computer program detects depression in bloggers' texts
June 23, 2010 at 8:00 PM

Researchers have developed a computer program capable of identifying language that can indicate a writer's psychological state, which could serve as a screening tool. The software was used to scan more than 300,000 English language blogs that were posted to mental health Web sites. The program identified what it perceived to be the 100 "most depressed" and 100 "least depressed" bloggers.

Underwater gliders may change how scientists track fish
June 23, 2010 at 8:00 PM

Tracking fish across Alaska's vast continental shelves can present a challenge to any scientist studying Alaska's seas. Researchers have successfully tested a possible solution in the form of underwater gliders.

New vaccine strategies could safely control Rift Valley fever
June 23, 2010 at 5:00 PM

Two new approaches could form the basis for the first-ever human vaccine for Rift Valley fever, an infectious disease that threatens both farm animals and people, say researchers. Experimental vaccines developed with these approaches produced strong immune responses in mice and may be safer than the only available RVF vaccine, which is limited to animal use.

Chicken litter has advantages over conventional fertilizers
June 23, 2010 at 5:00 PM

Chicken litter is much more valuable as a fertilizer than previously thought, according to an agricultural study showing its newfound advantages over conventional fertilizers.

Going barefoot in home may contribute to elderly falls
June 23, 2010 at 2:00 PM

Going barefoot in the home, wearing slippers, or socks with no shoes may contribute falls among the elderly.

Getting estrogen's benefits without cancer risk
June 23, 2010 at 2:00 PM

Researchers have pinpointed a set of biological mechanisms through which estrogen confers its beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system, independent of the hormone's actions on cancer.

Adverse childhood experiences linked to frequent headache in adults
June 23, 2010 at 2:00 PM

Children who experience maltreatment such as emotional, physical and sexual abuse are more likely to experience frequent headaches, including chronic migraine, as adults, say scientists.

Neuroscientists can predict your behavior better than you can
June 23, 2010 at 2:00 PM

In a study with implications for the advertising industry and public health organizations, neuroscientists have shown they can use brain scanning to predict whether people will use sunscreen in the next week better than the people themselves can predict whether they will do so. This is the first persuasion study in neuroscience to predict behavior change.

Humans have a mighty bite, new research shows
June 23, 2010 at 11:00 AM

The robust jaws and formidable teeth of some of our ancestors and ape cousins may suggest that humans are wimps when it comes to producing a powerful bite: but a new study has found the opposite is true. The surprise findings suggest that early modern humans did not necessarily need to use tools and cooking to process high-nutrient hard foods, such as nuts, but may have lost an ability to eat very tough items, such as tubers or leaves.

Striped mice -- the neighbors from hell
June 23, 2010 at 11:00 AM

Fighting, paternity tests and infidelity. No, not a daytime talk show, but the results of new research examining why the fur will fly if a four-striped grass mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio) wanders into his neighbor's territory. Researchers investigated aggression in the mammalian species, finding that breeding males are much more concerned with repelling their neighbors than with defending their partners from complete strangers.

High levels of fructose, trans fats lead to significant liver disease, says study
June 23, 2010 at 11:00 AM

Scientists at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have discovered that a diet with high levels of fructose, sucrose, and of trans fats not only increases obesity, but also leads to significant fatty liver disease with scar tissue.