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191,281 articles from EurekAlert

New research results change the understanding of atmospheric aerosol properties and climate effects

Terrestrial vegetation and atmospheric photochemistry produce large amounts of fine particles in the atmosphere, thereby cooling Earth's climate. According to new research published in the Oct. 14 issue of Nature, the physical state of the fine particles produced by coniferous forests is solid, whereas previously scientists have assumed that these particles were liquid. The new findings have major...

Not all doctors follow cancer screening guidelines

Only one-fifth of primary care physicians in the US follow practice guidelines for colorectal cancer screening for all the tests they recommend, according to Dr. Robin Yabroff from the National Cancer Institute and her colleagues. About 40 percent followed guidelines for some of the tests they recommended and the remaining 40 percent did not follow guidelines for any of the screening tests they...

Orchid tricks hoverflies

Scientists have discovered the trick the orchid Epipactis veratrifolia uses to attract pollinating hoverflies. The plant's flower practices special mimicry: It produces chemical substances that are usually emitted as alarm pheromones among aphids. Hoverfly females smell the alarm and lay their eggs close to aphid colonies, which serve as baby food for their hatching larvae. By mimicking these...

Perspectives on improving patient care: Genetics, personalized medicine, and behavioral intervention

Personalized medicine has become a major focus of behavioral research. Genetic studies have suggested that an individual's genetic makeup renders him either more or less sensitive to stressful social environments -- but can an individual's unique genotype also determine the effectiveness of preventative or therapeutic behavioral interventions? The current issue of Perspectives on Psychological...

PiggyBac joins armory in fight against cancer

Researchers have developed a genetic tool in mice to speed the discovery of novel genes involved in cancer. The system -- called PiggyBac -- involves disrupting or altering the mouse genome using "jumping genes" (known as transposons) and has been used by the team to identify a number of novel candidate cancer-causing genes. The team searched 63 mouse blood cancers; the genes they identified will...

Planet hunters no longer blinded by the light

UA astronomers have developed a way to see faint planets in faraway solar systems previously invisible to Earthly eyes. The technique "opens new doors in planet discovery," said Phil Hinz, director of the UA's Center for Astronomical Adaptive Optics at Steward Observatory.

Push and pull get eyes to work together

Researchers appear to have found a better way to correct sensory eye dominance, a condition in which an imbalance between the eyes compromises fine depth perception. The key is a push-pull training method in which the weak eye is made to work while vision in the strong eye is actively suppressed, according to a report published online on Oct. 14 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication.

Researcher find fats galore in human plasma

Human blood is famously fraught with fats; now researchers have a specific idea of just how numerous and diverse these lipids actually are. A national research team, led by scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has created the first "lipidome" of human plasma, identifying and quantifying almost 600 distinct fat species circulating in human blood.

Researchers from Kent State University say practice tests improve memory

Although most people assume that tests are a way to evaluate learning, a wealth of research has shown that testing can actually improve learning, according to two researchers from Kent State University. Dr. Katherine Rawson, associate professor in Kent State's Department of Psychology, and former Kent State graduate student Mary Pyc publish their research findings in the Oct. 15, 2010, issue of...

Researchers report advances vs. preeclampsia, including potential prediction

Preeclampsia, a sudden-onset and sometimes fatal prenatal disease, may strike up to 8 percent of pregnant women worldwide. Researchers have now developed a dependable pregnancy-specific animal model for laboratory testing and may have a predictive test that would allow early intervention. The studies are reported in the American Journal of Pathology.

Scientists find signals that make cell nucleus blow up like a balloon

The size of a cell's nucleus varies from one species to another, in different cell types and at different stages of development, and even with disease: many cancer cells develop larger nuclei as they become more malignant. Working with the African clawed frog, Rebecca Heald and Daniel Levy of University of California -- Berkeley have discovered two proteins that control the size of the nucleus....

Scientists perfect new nanowire technique

Scientists at the University of Leeds have perfected a new technique that allows them to make molecular nanowires out of thin strips of ring-shaped molecules known as discotic liquid crystals (DLCs).

Study uncovers genetic variations linked with common childhood obesity

A new study uncovers multiple genetic variations associated with common childhood obesity. The research, published by Cell Press on Oct. 14 in the American Journal of Human Genetics, is likely to guide future studies aimed at characterizing the affected genes and unraveling the complex biology that underlies childhood obesity.

Study: Belief in rumors about proposed NYC mosque linked to opposition to all mosques

People who believe false rumors about the proposed Islamic cultural center and mosque near Ground Zero in New York City not only are more likely to oppose that project -- they are more likely to oppose building of a mosque in their own neighborhood. Researchers surveyed 750 Americans and asked them if they believed any of four rumors associated with the New York City mosque, all of which have...