ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Is a 'buttery' molecule behind cystic fibrosis flare-ups?
• Fruit-loving lemurs score higher on spatial memory tests
• What has happened to the tsunami debris from Japan?
• Newly discovered marsupial the victim of fatal attraction: Due to stress hormone, males die before young are born
• Temperature and ecology: Rival Chilean barnacles keep competition cool
• Optimizing custody is child's play for physicists
• Liquid metal pump a breakthrough for micro-fluidics
• The parasite that escaped out of Africa: Tracing origins of malaria parasite
• Some ancient mysteries of leprosy uncovered
• When feeling poor makes you sick: Subjective poverty massively affects older people's health
• Mechanism behind activation of dormant memory cells discovered
• Iron deficiency may increase stroke risk through sticky blood
• Genetics linked to children viewing high amounts of violent media
• Essential step toward printing living human tissues
• Social gaming site effective weight loss tool, study shows
• Ticks may cause double trouble, spreading both Lyme disease, B. miyamotoi infection
• Major heart surgery performed under 'twilight'

Is a 'buttery' molecule behind cystic fibrosis flare-ups? Posted: 21 Feb 2014 03:48 PM PST A lung-damaging molecule has been discovered in higher concentrations in cystic fibrosis patients during symptom flare-ups. This molecule, which has a buttery flavor and is the main ingredient in microwave popcorn flavoring, is toxic and has been implicated in damaging the lungs of popcorn factory workers. Results of the new research indicate that it might play an important role in microbial infections of the lung suffered by people with cystic fibrosis.

Fruit-loving lemurs score higher on spatial memory tests Posted: 21 Feb 2014 12:04 PM PST Food-finding tests in five lemur species show fruit-eaters may have better spatial memory than lemurs with a more varied diet. The results support the idea that relying on foods that are seasonally available and far-flung gives a competitive edge to individuals with certain cognitive abilities -- such as remembering where the goodies are.

What has happened to the tsunami debris from Japan? Posted: 21 Feb 2014 07:39 AM PST The amount of debris in the ocean is growing exponentially, becoming more and more hazardous and harmful to marine life and therefore to our ocean food source. Measuring and tracking the movements of such debris are still in their infancy. The driftage generated by the tragic 2011 tsunami in Japan gave scientists a unique chance to learn about the effects of the ocean and wind on floating materials as they move across the North Pacific Ocean.

Newly discovered marsupial the victim of fatal attraction: Due to stress hormone, males die before young are born Posted: 21 Feb 2014 07:39 AM PST A highly sexed mouse-like marsupial in Queensland's Springbrook National Park, Australia, has been discovered by a mammalogist. The rare, Black-tailed Antechinus is a rare, mouse-like marsupial with a deadly mating habit. "A single female's brood of young will typically be sired by several fathers. But during mating, stress hormone levels rise dramatically, eventually causing the males' bodies to shut down. The males all die before their young are born," found the researchers.

Temperature and ecology: Rival Chilean barnacles keep competition cool Posted: 21 Feb 2014 07:39 AM PST A lot of research shows that temperature can strongly influence species interactions and sometimes shape the appearance and functioning of biological communities. That's why a newly published finding that changes in temperature did not alter the competitive balance of power between two rival species of Chilean barnacles is an ecological surprise.

Optimizing custody is child's play for physicists Posted: 21 Feb 2014 04:38 AM PST Ensuring that parents in recomposed families see their children regularly is a complex network problem, according to a new study. The lead researcher set out to resolve one of his real-life problems: finding a suitable weekend for both partners in his recomposed family to see all their children at the same time. He then joined forces with a mathematician and a complex systems expert. The answer they came up with is that such an agreement is not possible, in general.

Liquid metal pump a breakthrough for micro-fluidics Posted: 21 Feb 2014 04:38 AM PST Scientists have developed the world's first liquid metal enabled pump, a revolutionary new micro-scale device with no mechanical parts. The unique design will enable micro-fluidics and lab-on-a-chip technology to finally realize their potential, with applications ranging from biomedicine to biofuels.

The parasite that escaped out of Africa: Tracing origins of malaria parasite Posted: 21 Feb 2014 04:37 AM PST An international team has traced the origin of the second-worst malaria parasite of humans to Africa. The closest genetic relatives of human Plasmodium vivax were found only in Asian macaques, leading researchers to believe that P. vivax originated in Asia. This study overturns that, finding that wild-living apes in central Africa are widely infected with parasites that, genetically, are nearly identical to human P. vivax.

Some ancient mysteries of leprosy uncovered Posted: 20 Feb 2014 10:20 AM PST Research is finally unearthing some of the ancient mysteries behind leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, which has plagued humankind throughout history. The new research findings suggest that the disease might be the oldest human-specific infection, with roots that likely stem back millions of years. There are still hundreds of thousands of new cases of leprosy worldwide each year, but the disease is rare in the United States, with 100-200 new cases annually. Leprosy is known for attacking a patient's skin and nerves. Effective antimicrobial treatments exist today. However, when misdiagnosed or untreated, the disease can lead to extensive skin lesions, deformities in the patient's face and extremities, disabilities, and even death. Leprosy carries a social stigma and diagnosis is frequently and notoriously delayed.

When feeling poor makes you sick: Subjective poverty massively affects older people's health Posted: 20 Feb 2014 05:32 AM PST Being objectively low income leads to poor health and a shorter life. This much we already knew. But poverty can also be a matter of subjectively feeling poor. Researchers have substantiated how the subjective assessment of being poor affects the health of the 50+ age group. A study of European countries shows that older people who assess themselves as poor get sick more often (38 per cent) and suffer more from health setbacks (48 per cent) than those who do not. The probability of dying earlier is also much higher – around 40 per cent for men in this age group.

Mechanism behind activation of dormant memory cells discovered Posted: 20 Feb 2014 05:31 AM PST The electrical stimulation of the hippocampus in in-vivo experiments activates precisely the same receptor complexes as learning or memory recall. This has been discovered for the first time. The latest findings very much form part of the highly controversial subject of "cognitive enhancement." Scientists are currently discussing the possibility of improving mental capacity through the use of drugs -- including in healthy subjects of all age groups, but especially in patients with age-related impairments of cognitive processes.

Iron deficiency may increase stroke risk through sticky blood Posted: 19 Feb 2014 02:32 PM PST Iron deficiency may increase stroke risk by making the blood more sticky, scientists have discovered. Every year, 15 million people worldwide suffer a stroke. Nearly six million die and another five million are left permanently disabled. The most common type, ischaemic stroke, occurs because the blood supply to the brain is interrupted by small clots. In the last few years, several studies have shown that iron deficiency, which affects around two billion people worldwide, may be a risk factor for ischaemic stroke in adults and in children.

Genetics linked to children viewing high amounts of violent media Posted: 19 Feb 2014 08:34 AM PST The lifelong debate of nature versus nurture continues -- this time in what your children watch. A recent study found that a specific variation of the serotonin-transporter gene was linked to children who engaged in increased viewing of violent television and playing of violent video games.

Essential step toward printing living human tissues Posted: 19 Feb 2014 06:55 AM PST A new bioprinting method creates intricately patterned 3-D tissue constructs with multiple types of cells and tiny blood vessels. The work represents a major step toward a longstanding goal of tissue engineers: creating human tissue constructs realistic enough to test drug safety and effectiveness. The method also represents an early but important step toward building fully functional replacements for injured or diseased tissue that can be designed from CAT scan data using computer-aided design (CAD), printed in 3D at the push of a button, and used by surgeons to repair or replace damaged tissue.

Social gaming site effective weight loss tool, study shows Posted: 18 Feb 2014 12:38 PM PST DietBet, a web-based commercial weight loss program that pairs financial incentives with social influence, delivers significant weight losses, a study has found. On Dietbet.com, players join a game to lose weight while betting money on themselves. Players all have four weeks to lose four percent of their starting weight. At the end of week four, all players who have lost at least four percent of their initial body weight are deemed "winners" and split the pool of money collected at the start of the game. To verify weight losses, players submit photo-based evidence of their weigh-ins to DietBet's referees at the start and end of each game.

Ticks may cause double trouble, spreading both Lyme disease, B. miyamotoi infection Posted: 18 Feb 2014 11:33 AM PST Ticks infected with Lyme disease and newly identified human pathogen are widespread in San Francisco Bay Area. A newly recognized human pathogen with unknown health consequences has been found to occur over a large part of the San Francisco Bay Area. A study details how researchers found the bacterium, Borrelia miyamotoi, as well as Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, in ticks they sampled throughout the area.

Major heart surgery performed under 'twilight' Posted: 18 Feb 2014 11:22 AM PST New twilight sedation for advanced heart valve disease patients undergoing the minimally invasive TAVR, or transcatheter aortic valve replacement, cuts hospital stay, cost, and additional medications. It allows the patient to remain in a "twilight" sedation, awake and communicating with them during the procedure. What was previously major, open-heart surgery is now being done percutaneously in the cath lab with excellent results that include less recovery time and improved infection rates.

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