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Released: 7-Nov-2013 11:00 AM EST
NASA's Hubble Sees Asteroid Spouting Six Comet-Like Tails
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Hubble researchers say they were "literally dumbfounded" when they took a close-up look at P/2013 P5, an object that lives in the asteroid belt but superficially looks like a comet. It has no less than six dust tails that seem to be forming sequentially. The entire structure rotates like a bicycle wheel with spokes on one side.

22-Oct-2013 6:00 PM EDT
Yeast, Human Stem Cells Drive Discovery of New Parkinson’s Disease Drug Targets
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Using a discovery platform whose components range from yeast cells to human stem cells, Whitehead Institute scientists have identified a novel Parkinson’s disease drug target and a compound capable of repairing neurons derived from Parkinson’s patients.

18-Oct-2013 1:30 PM EDT
No Known Hominin Is Ancestor of Neanderthals and Modern Humans
George Washington University

Researchers, using quantitative methods focused on the shape of dental fossils, find that none of the usual suspects fits the expected profile of an ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans.

Released: 4-Oct-2013 9:15 AM EDT
Well-Connected Hemispheres of Einstein's Brain May Have Sparked His Brilliance
Florida State University

The left and right hemispheres of Albert Einstein’s brain were unusually well connected to each other and may have contributed to his brilliance.

Released: 27-Sep-2013 4:15 PM EDT
Telecommuting Can Be Beneficial for a Work/Life Balance
University of Alabama at Birmingham

If telecommuting – or working from home – is an available option, one University of Alabama at Birmingham expert says its perks go beyond working in pajamas.

23-Sep-2013 2:00 PM EDT
Fusion, Anyone?
American Institute of Physics (AIP)

The dream of igniting a self-sustained fusion reaction with high yields of energy, a feat likened to creating a miniature star on Earth, is getting closer to becoming reality, according the authors of a new review article in the journal Physics of Plasmas.

Released: 23-Sep-2013 11:00 AM EDT
PHOTOS: Eagle vs. Deer(Spoiler Alert: Eagle Wins)
Wildlife Conservation Society

A camera trap set out for endangered Siberian (Amur) tigers in the Russian Far East photographed something far more rare: a golden eagle capturing a young sika deer.

Released: 20-Sep-2013 8:00 AM EDT
N.H. Has Largest Increase in Child Poverty in Nation
University of New Hampshire

The state of New Hampshire experienced the largest increase in child poverty of any state in the country from 2011 to 2012, according to new research from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire.

Released: 17-Sep-2013 4:00 PM EDT
Emotional Attachment to Robots Could Affect Outcome on Battlefield
University of Washington

It's becoming more common to have robots sub in for humans to do dirty or sometimes dangerous work. But researchers are finding that in some cases, people have started to treat robots like pets, friends, or even as an extension of themselves. That raises the question, if a soldier attaches human or animal-like characteristics to a field robot, can it affect how they use the robot?

Released: 12-Sep-2013 2:00 PM EDT
Voyager 1 Spotted from Earth with NRAO's VLBA and GBT Telescopes
National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Earlier this year, the National Science Foundation's Very Long Baseline Array telescope turned its gaze to NASA's famed Voyager 1 and captured an image of this iconic spacecraft's faint radio signal. The Green Bank Telescope also detected Voyager's signal, picking it out from the background radio noise in less than one second.

Released: 12-Sep-2013 2:00 PM EDT
Voyager 1 Spacecraft Reaches Interstellar Space
University of Iowa

University of Iowa space physicist Don Gurnett says there is solid evidence that NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft has become the first manmade object to reach interstellar space, more than 11 billion miles distant and 36 years after it was launched. The finding is reported in a paper published in the Sept. 12 online issue of the journal Science.

Released: 22-Aug-2013 12:00 PM EDT
Hubble Takes Movies of Space Slinky
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Astronomers have assembled, from more than 13 years of observations from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, a series of time-lapse movies showing a jet of superheated gas — 5,000 light-years long — as it is ejected from a supermassive black hole in the giant elliptical galaxy M87.

Released: 22-Aug-2013 8:40 AM EDT
Nonmedical Use of Prescription Pain Relievers May Raise the Risk of Turning to Heroin Use
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA)

A new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that people aged 12 to 49 who had used prescription pain relievers nonmedically were 19 times more likely to have initiated heroin use recently (within the past 12 months of being interviewed) than others in that age group (0.39 percent versus 0.02 percent). The report also shows that four out of five recent heroin initiates (79.5 percent) had previously used prescription pain relievers nonmedically.

16-Aug-2013 11:00 AM EDT
Potential New Drug for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
UC San Diego Health

Vedolizumab, a new intravenous antibody medication, has shown positive results for treating both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, according to researchers at the University of California San Diego, School of Medicine. The findings, published in two papers, will appear in the August 22 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

13-Aug-2013 2:00 PM EDT
Disease Caused by Repeat Brain Trauma in Athletes May Affect Memory, Mood, Behavior
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

New research suggests that chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease associated with repeat brain trauma including concussions in athletes, may affect people in two major ways: initially affecting behavior or mood or initially affecting memory and thinking abilities. The study appears in the August 21, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. CTE has been found in amateur and professional athletes, members of the military and others who experienced repeated head injuries, including concussions and subconcussive trauma.

19-Aug-2013 4:30 PM EDT
Alcohol Abuse, Eating Disorders Share Genetic Link
Washington University in St. Louis

Part of the risk for alcohol dependence is genetic. The same is true for eating disorders. Now researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that some of the same genes likely are involved in both. They report that people with alcohol dependence may be more genetically susceptible to certain types of eating disorders and vice versa.

13-Aug-2013 4:15 PM EDT
Galaxies Had ‘Mature’ Shapes 11.5 Billion Years Ago
University of Massachusetts Amherst

An international team of astronomers led by BoMee Lee has established that mature-looking galaxies existed much earlier than previously known, about 11.5 billion years ago. “Finding them this far back in time is a significant discovery,” says lead author Lee. Reported in The Astrophysical Journal.

Released: 18-Jul-2013 7:00 PM EDT
A Warmer Planetary Haven Around Cool Stars, as Ice Warms Rather Than Cools
University of Washington

In a bit of cosmic irony, planets orbiting cooler stars may be more likely to remain ice-free than planets around hotter stars. This is due to the interaction of a star’s light with ice and snow on the planet’s surface.

Released: 17-Jul-2013 2:00 PM EDT
Discovery of Stone Monument at El Perú-Waka’ Adds New Chapter to Ancient Maya History
Washington University in St. Louis

Archaeologists tunneling beneath the main temple of the ancient Maya city of El Perú-Waka’ in Guatemala have discovered a stone monument with hieroglyphic text detailing the exploits of a little-known sixth-century princess whose progeny prevailed in a bloody struggle between two of the civilization’s most powerful royal dynasties.

10-Jul-2013 9:35 AM EDT
New Findings on Makeup of Universe May Spawn Research
University of Alabama Huntsville

New areas of extragalactic study may emerge from research by University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) astrophysicists using data from the Chandra Space Telescope to conclude that baryons making up all visible matter – once thought to be missing from clusters – are present in the expected ratios in large, luminous clusters.

Released: 15-Jul-2013 1:00 PM EDT
NASA's Hubble Finds New Neptune Moon
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a new moon orbiting the distant blue-green planet Neptune, the 14th known to be circling the giant planet. The moon, designated S/2004 N 1, is estimated to be no more than 12 miles across, making it the smallest known moon in the Neptunian system.

Released: 1-Jul-2013 11:00 AM EDT
Cloud Behavior Expands Habitable Zone of Alien Planets
University of Chicago

A new study that calculates the influence of cloud behavior on climate doubles the number of potentially habitable planets orbiting red dwarfs, the most common type of stars in the universe.

Released: 27-Jun-2013 8:00 AM EDT
Take the Sting Out of Summer:Combat the Perils of Mother Nature
Montefiore Health System

Montefiore expert provides tips to avoid common summertime maladies.

24-Jun-2013 6:00 AM EDT
Astronomers Find Three 'Super-Earths' in Nearby Star's Habitable Zone
University of Washington

An international team of astronomers has found that a nearby star previously thought to host two or three planets is in fact orbited by six or seven worlds, including an unprecedented three to five "super-Earths" in its habitable zone.

4-Jun-2013 4:00 PM EDT
'Dust Trap' Around Distant Star May Solve Planet Formation Mystery
National Radio Astronomy Observatory

An international team of researchers using the new Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope has discovered an intriguing clue that could help explain how rocky planets are able to evolve out of a swirling disk of dust and gas.

Released: 3-Jun-2013 3:40 PM EDT
Are Smartphones Disrupting Your Sleep? Mayo Clinic Study Examines the Question
Mayo Clinic

Smartphones and tablets can make for sleep-disrupting bedfellows. One cause is believed to be the bright light-emitting diodes that allow the use of mobile devices in dimly lit rooms; the light exposure can interfere with melatonin, a hormone that helps control the natural sleep-wake cycle. But there may be a way to check your mobile device in bed and still get a good night’s sleep. A Mayo Clinic study suggests dimming the smartphone or tablet brightness settings and holding the device at least 14 inches from your face while using it will reduce its potential to interfere with melatonin and impede sleep.

23-May-2013 1:25 PM EDT
Stem Cell Injections Improve Spinal Injuries in Rats
UC San Diego Health

An international team led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine reports that a single injection of human neural stem cells produced neuronal regeneration and improvement of function and mobility in rats impaired by an acute spinal cord injury (SCI).

Released: 22-May-2013 3:30 PM EDT
Research Finds Weekends Are the Best Time to Buy Airline Tickets
Texas A&M University

Researchers in the Department of Economics at Texas A&M University studied a historical archive of airline ticket purchases and found the best deals are on the weekend.

   
Released: 21-May-2013 5:15 PM EDT
Team Sets Upper Limit for Atmospheric Depth on Uranus and Neptune
Weizmann Institute of Science

Since the ‘80s, when Voyager 2 discovered extremely high atmospheric winds on Uranus and Neptune, the vertical extent of those winds has been a puzzle. Now, a team led by the Weizmann Institute’s Dr. Yohai Kaspi has found a way, based on a novel method for analyzing gravitational fields, to determine an upper limit for the atmospheric layer’s thickness.

3-May-2013 12:00 PM EDT
Astronomers Discover Surprising Clutch of Hydrogen Clouds Lurking Among Our Galactic Neighbors
National Radio Astronomy Observatory

In a dark, starless patch of intergalactic space, astronomers have discovered a never-before-seen cluster of hydrogen clouds strewn between two nearby galaxies, Andromeda (M31) and Triangulum (M33). The researchers speculate that these rarefied blobs of gas -- each about as massive as a dwarf galaxy -- condensed out of a vast and as-yet undetected reservoir of hot, ionized gas, which could have accompanied an otherwise invisible band of dark matter.

Released: 8-May-2013 11:00 AM EDT
Revolutionary Muon Experiment to Begin with 3,200-Mile Move of 50-Foot-Wide Particle Storage Ring
Brookhaven National Laboratory

Scientists are moving a 40-ton complex electromagnet that spans 50 feet in diameter from Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York to Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois.

Released: 30-Apr-2013 10:00 AM EDT
VLA Gives Deep, Detailed Image of Distant Universe
National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Staring at a small patch of sky for more than 50 hours with the ultra-sensitive Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), astronomers have for the first time identified discrete sources that account for nearly all the radio waves coming from distant galaxies.

24-Apr-2013 1:00 PM EDT
Einstein's Gravity Theory Passes Toughest Test Yet
National Radio Astronomy Observatory

A strange stellar pair nearly 7,000 light-years from Earth has provided physicists with a unique cosmic laboratory for studying the nature of gravity. The extremely strong gravity of a massive neutron star in orbit with a companion white dwarf star puts competing theories of gravity to a test more stringent than any available before.

23-Apr-2013 9:00 AM EDT
National Cancer Institute (NCI) at NIH Creates Comprehensive Cancer News Source with Newswise
Newswise

The Cancer News Source, made possible through a collaboration between the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Newswise, provides up-to-date, comprehensive, quality content on the latest developments in cancer research, patient care, treatment innovations, and scientific advances. The Cancer News Source, and the weekly Cancer News Wire sent by email each Tuesday, serves as a resource for journalists, communicators, and members of the public interested in cancer news.

       
16-Apr-2013 5:00 PM EDT
Astronomers Discover Five-Planet System with Most Earthlike Exoplanet Yet
University of Washington

A University of Washington astronomer has discovered perhaps the most Earthlike planet yet found outside the solar system by the Kepler Space Telescope.

Released: 8-Apr-2013 2:20 PM EDT
Byrd Came Oh-So-Close, But Probably Didn’t Reach North Pole
Ohio State University

When renowned explorer Richard E. Byrd returned from the first-ever flight to the North Pole in 1926, he sparked a controversy that remains today: Did he actually reach the pole? By studying Byrd's navigation techniques, a researcher at The Ohio State University has determined that Byrd indeed neared the Pole, but likely only flew within 80 miles of it before turning back.

Released: 4-Apr-2013 3:50 PM EDT
Listening to the Big Bang – in High Fidelity
University of Washington

Using new data from the European Space Agency's Planck satellite, a University of Washington physicist has updated his decade-old recreation of the sound of the Big Bang that started the universe.

Released: 4-Apr-2013 12:00 PM EDT
Rocket Powered by Nuclear Fusion Could Send Humans to Mars
University of Washington

University of Washington researchers and scientists at a space-propulsion company are building components of a fusion-powered rocket aimed to clear many of the hurdles that block deep space travel, including long times in transit, exorbitant costs and health risks.

Released: 3-Apr-2013 10:00 AM EDT
Taken Under The "Wing" of the Small Magellanic Cloud
Chandra X-ray Observatory

The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is one of the Milky Way's closest galactic neighbors. Many navigators used this object to make their way across the oceans. A new composite image from three NASA telescopes -- Chandra, Hubble, and Spitzer -- shows this galaxy like Ferdinand Magellan, who lends his name to the SMC, could never have imagined.

21-Mar-2013 10:10 AM EDT
Number of Cancer Survivors Expected to Increase to 18 Million by 2022
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)

• The current number of cancer survivors is 13.7 million. • The increase is primarily due to aging of the population. • Survival is not uniform across cancer types.

26-Mar-2013 11:45 PM EDT
Revealing Hidden Artwork with Airport Security Full-Body-Scanner Technology
American Chemical Society (ACS)

In the latest achievement in efforts to see what may lie underneath the surface of great works of art, scientists today described the first use of an imaging technology like that used in airport whole-body security scanners to detect the face of an ancient Roman man hidden below the surface of a wall painting in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Released: 20-Mar-2013 4:00 PM EDT
Humanoid Robot Helps Train Children with Autism
Vanderbilt University

An interdisciplinary team of mechanical engineers and autism experts at Vanderbilt University have developed an adaptive robotic system and used it to demonstrate that humanoid robots can be powerful tools for enhancing the basic social learning skills of children with autism.

11-Mar-2013 10:00 AM EDT
Distant Planetary System Is a Super-Sized Solar System
University of Toronto

A team of astronomers, including Quinn Konopacky of the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto, has made the most detailed examination yet of the atmosphere of a Jupiter-like planet beyond our Solar System. A spectrum reveals that the carbon to oxygen ratio is consistent with the core accretion scenario, the model thought to explain the formation of our Solar System.

12-Mar-2013 7:00 AM EDT
ALMA Finds 'Monster' Starburst Galaxies in the Early Universe: Observatory’s Early Strides Provide Astounding View of Cosmic History
National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope have discovered starburst galaxies earlier in the Universe’s history than they were previously thought to have existed. These newly discovered galaxies represent what today's most massive galaxies looked like in their energetic, star-forming youth.

Released: 13-Mar-2013 1:50 PM EDT
Accelerating Particles Accelerates Science — with Big Benefits for Society
Brookhaven National Laboratory

Tackling the most challenging problems in accelerator science attracts the world's best and brightest to Brookhaven Lab. It's only natural that ideas and techniques born here take root in new research facilities around the world — and spark a host of spin-off applications for industry, medicine, national security, and more.

7-Mar-2013 2:00 PM EST
Hubble Finds Birth Certificate of Oldest Known Star
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

A team of astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has taken an important step closer to finding the birth certificate of a star that's been around for a very long time.The star could be as old as 14.5 billion years (plus or minus 0.8 billion years), which at first glance would make it older than the universe's calculated age of about 13.8 billion years, an obvious dilemma.

Released: 4-Mar-2013 12:45 PM EST
Vortex Loops Could Untie Knotty Physics Problems
University of Chicago

University of Chicago physicists have succeeding in creating a vortex knot—a feat akin to tying a smoke ring into a knot. Linked and knotted vortex loops have existed in theory for more than a century, but creating them in the laboratory had previously eluded scientists.

Released: 1-Mar-2013 2:30 PM EST
CSI: Milky Way
Vanderbilt University

There is growing evidence that several million years ago the center of the Milky Way galaxy was site of all manner of celestial fireworks and a pair of astronomers from Vanderbilt and Georgia Institute of Technology propose that a single event -- a black hole collision -- can explain all the “forensic” clues.



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