| Pebbly rocks testify to old streambed on Mars  | Detailed analysis and review have borne out researchers' initial interpretation of pebble-containing slabs that NASA's Mars rover Curiosity investigated last year: They are part of an ancient streambed. The rocks are the first ever found on Mars that contain streambed gravels. The sizes and shapes of the gravels embedded in these conglomerate rocks -- from the size of sand particles to the size of golf balls -- enabled researchers to calculate the depth and speed of the water that once flowed at this location. | Read More »  NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale team assembles final observatory  | On May 20, 2013, the Magnetospheric Multiscale, or MMS, mission team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., reached an unprecedented milestone. The team mated the instrument and spacecraft decks to form the fourth and final MMS observatory. This is the first time Goddard has simultaneously engineered this many observatories, or spacecraft, for a single mission. | Read More » Biologists take snapshot of fleeting protein process  | Structural biologists have captured the first three-dimensional crystalline snapshot of a critical but fleeting process that takes place thousands of times per second in every human cell. The research sheds new light on a protein that was discovered more than 120 years ago and could prove useful in the study of cancer and other diseases. | Read More » Ketamine cousin rapidly lifts depression without side effects, study suggests  | GLYX-13, a molecular cousin to ketamine, induces similar antidepressant results without the street drug side effects, reported a new study. | Read More » Healthy lifestyle choices mean fewer memory complaints  | To examine the impact of these lifestyle choices on memory throughout adult life, researchers polled more than 18,500 individuals between the ages of 18 and 99. As expected, problems with memory were found to increase with age, but researchers were surprised by the percentage of younger adults who also reported memory difficulties. | Read More » New weapon in fight against cervical cancer  | Scientists have found a way to target and destroy a key protein associated with the development of cervical and other cancers. | Read More » TCE exposure linked to increased risk of some cancers  | Trichloroethylene (TCE) exposure has possible links to increased liver cancer risk, and the relationship between TCE exposure and risks of cancers of low incidence and those with confounding by lifestyle and other factors need further study, according to a new study. | Read More » Climate change threatens extinction for 82 percent of California native fish  | Of 121 native fish species in California, researchers predict 82 percent are likely to be driven to extinction or very low numbers as climate change speeds the decline of already depleted populations. | Read More » Good kidney health begins before birth  | Researchers have found that conditions in the womb can affect kidney development and have serious health implications for the child not only immediately after birth, but decades later. | Read More » Probiotics prevent diarrhea related to antibiotic use, review shows  | Probiotic supplements have the potential to prevent diarrhea caused by antibiotics, according to a new Cochrane systematic review. The authors studied Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infections in patients taking antibiotics and found symptoms of diarrhea were substantially reduced when patients were also treated with probiotics. | Read More » Croaking chorus of Cuban frogs make noisy new neighbors  | Scientists have shown the adverse impact of invasive frog species' songs. | Read More » Innovative new nanotechnology stops bed bugs in their tracks - literally  | Bed bugs now need to watch their step. Researchers have developed a safe, non-chemical resource that literally stops bed bugs in their tracks. This innovative new technology acts as a human-made web consisting of microfibers 50 times thinner than a human hair which entangle and trap bed bugs and other insects. | Read More » Novel approach to create red blood cells, platelets in vitro  | A study led by Boston University School of Medicine has identified a novel approach to create an unlimited number of human red blood cells and platelets in vitro. In collaboration with Boston University School of Public Health and Boston Medical Center, the researchers differentiated induced pluripotent stem cells into these cell types, which are typically obtained through blood donations. | Read More » Researchers gain insight into key protein linked to cancers, neurodegenerative disorders  | Researchers studying a key molecular player called Hsp70 that is responsible for protein homeostasis have uncovered how it binds together with another molecule responsible for intracellular energy transfer to enhance its overall activity and efficiency -- details that have previously not been well understood. | Read More » Study coaxes clays to make human bone  | Whether damaged by injury, disease or age, your body as an adult can't create new bone, but maybe science can. Researchers are making strides in tissue engineering, designing scaffolds that may lead to ways to regenerate bone. Scientists have developed a novel method that uses nanosized clays to make scaffolds to mineralize bone minerals such as hydroxyapatite. | Read More » New technology modifies music hall acoustics  | With the flick of a switch, inflatable sound absorbers can turn classical music halls into houses of rock. | Read More » Quitting smoking: Licensed medications are effective  | Nicotine replacement therapy and other licensed drugs can help people quit smoking, according to a new systematic review published in The Cochrane Library. The study supports the use of the smoking cessation medications that are already widely licensed internationally, and shows that another drug licensed in Russia could hold potential as an effective and affordable treatment. | Read More » Native Ohioans' speaking patterns help scientists decipher famous moon landing quote  | Speech scientists and psychologists discuss a novel approach to deciphering Armstrong's famous moon landing quote. | Read More » New speaker system for cars creates separate 'audio zones' for front and rear seats  | A new approach achieves a significant level of isolation between the front and rear listening zones within a car. | Read More » New technique alleviates painful bone metastases, study suggests  | A high-dose of ultrasound targeted to painful bone metastases appears to quickly bring patients relief, and with largely tolerable side effects, according to new research. | Read More » The scoop on bird poop: Evolving diversity of microbial life in bird guts  | Gut bacteria are known to have a central role both in human and in animal health. Animals acquire different bacteria as they age but how the microbial communities in the bodies of wild animals change over time is not well understood. Scientists have examined the gastrointestinal bacteria of chick and adult black-legged kittiwakes. Surprisingly, the microbial assemblages of chicks and adults generally differ greatly, with only a few types of bacteria in common. | Read More » Fatigue and sleep linked to Major League Baseball performance and career longevity  | Two new studies show that fatigue may impair strike-zone judgment during the 162 game Major League Baseball season, and a MLB player's sleepiness can predict his longevity in the league. | Read More » Elevated carbon dioxide making arid regions greener  | Scientists have long suspected that a flourishing of green foliage around the globe, observed since the early 1980s in satellite data, springs at least in part from the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere. Now, a study of arid regions around the globe finds that a carbon dioxide "fertilization effect" has, indeed, caused a gradual greening from 1982 to 2010. | Read More » Elite athletes often shine sooner or later -- but not both  | A new study that compared the performance of elite track and field athletes younger than 20 and those 20 and older found that only a minority of the star junior athletes saw similar success as senior athletes. The researchers think physical maturation is behind the disparity, with athletes who mature early reaping the benefits early, seeing their best times, jumps and throws at a younger age than Olympians, many of whom mature later. | Read More » Facebook profiles raise users' self-esteem and affect behavior  | A Facebook profile is an ideal version of self, full of photos and posts curated for the eyes of family, friends and acquaintances. A new study shows that this version of self can provide beneficial psychological effects and influence behavior. | Read More » | |
