Daily News chosen by Anchor Science

Biochemical pathway may link addiction, compulsive eating
Ezlopitant, a compound known to suppress craving for alcohol in humans, was shown to decrease consumption of sweetened water by rodents in a new study.

Probing for principles underlying animal flock patterns: A model system for group behavior of nanomachines
A team of physicists from Germany has developed a versatile biophysical model system that opens the door to studying phenomena such as the seemingly choreographed motion of hundreds or thousands of fish, birds, or insects, and probing their underlying principles. Using a combination of an experimental platform and theoretical models, more complex systems can now be described and their properties investigated.

New TB diagnostic proves effective, expedient, study finds
A molecular test designed to easily diagnose tuberculosis (TB) and detect a drug-resistant form of the bacterium that causes TB can provide much more specific, sensitive and rapid results than currently available TB diagnostics, according to a new study.

Researchers discover how to conduct first test of 'untestable' string theory
Researchers have planned how to carry out the first experimental test of string theory. String theory was originally developed to describe the fundamental particles and forces that make up our universe. The new research describes the unexpected discovery that string theory also seems to predict the behavior of entangled quantum particles. As this prediction can be tested in the laboratory, researchers can now test string theory.

Text messages reveal the emotional timeline of September 11, 2001
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, have been called the defining moment of our time. Thousands of people died and the attacks had huge individual and collective consequences. But less is known about the immediate emotional reactions to the attacks. For a new study, researchers analyzed text messages sent on September 11, 2001 for emotional words. They found spiking anxiety and steadily increasing anger through that fateful day.

Metal-mining bacteria are green chemists
Microbes could soon be used to convert metallic wastes into high-value catalysts for generating clean energy, say scientists.

Stopping smoking cessation treatments too soon may reduce odds of success for 45 percent of smokers
A new study may change the way clinicians make treatment decisions for their patients who smoke. The findings suggest that current treatment theories that maintain any smoking after the planned target quit day predicts treatment failure need to be expanded to take into account a more dynamic quitting process. The research points to two types of successful quitters: those who quit immediately and remain abstinent through the end of treatment and those who are "delayed" in attaining abstinence but achieve success by the end of treatment.

Live imaging puts new light on stem cell division
A long-held assumption about asymmetrical division of stem cells has cracked. Researchers report that the mitotic spindle does not act alone -- that cortical proteins help to position a cleavage furrow in the right location.

Lower blood pressure may preserve kidney function in some patients
Intensively treating hypertension in some African Americans with kidney disease by pushing blood pressure well below the current recommended goal may significantly decrease the number who lose kidney function and require dialysis, suggests a new study.

Economic theory suggests symbiosis is driven by simple self-interest, not rewards or punishment
Applying employment contract theory to symbiosis, a new paper suggests mutually beneficial relationships are maintained by simple self-interest, with partners benefiting from healthy hosts much as employees benefit from robust employers. The new work discounts the theory that host species have evolved to promote symbiosis by promising rewards or threatening punishment.

Finding variants in the human genome: HapMap 3 points the way forward for human genetics studies
The results of the third phase of the HapMap study, which looks at genetic variation in multiple populations, have just been published. Researchers looked at 1184 samples from 11 populations to identify variants in the human genome. The team looked at the distribution and frequency of variants across different populations and suggest that variants in some genes, including genes involved in the immune system, wound healing and sense of smell, are under selection in different populations.

Personalized medicine: Molecular imaging predicts treatment success in many cancers
New studies show that molecular imaging plays a critical role in the evaluation and treatment planning for a broad spectrum of cancers, including thyroid cancer and lymphoma.

NASA and NOAA's newest GOES satellite ready for action
NASA and NOAA's latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-15, has successfully completed five months of on-orbit testing and has been accepted into service. The satellite has demonstrated operational readiness of its subsystems, spacecraft instruments and communications services. GOES-15 is the third and final spacecraft in the GOES N-P Series of geostationary environmental weather satellites.

Increased risk of death in men with insomnia and a short sleep duration
Men with chronic insomnia who slept for less than six hours were four times more likely to die during the 14-year follow-up period, according to a new study. Results were adjusted for potential confounders such as body mass index, smoking status, depression and obstructive sleep apnea. Further adjustments for hypertension and diabetes had little effect on the elevated mortality risk. No significant mortality risk was found in women with insomnia and a short sleep duration of less than six hours.

Less waste with shelf-life indicator for food
Norwegian food retailers discard over 50,000 tonnes of food annually – much of it of perfectly good quality. New technology the TimeTemp company in cooperation with Norwegian research institutions could substantially reduce this wastefulness. TimeTemp has developed a new method of more precisely measuring the freshness of food items: a shelf-life indicator attached directly to the product. In addition to time, the company’s device also factors in the temperatures to which the item has been exposed.

Violence in inner city neighborhoods contributes to trouble with asthma, study finds
Patients with asthma who are exposed to violence in their community are at an increased risk for an asthma-related hospitalization and emergency room visits for asthma or any cause, according to new research.

'Charitable' behavior found in bacteria
Researchers have discover "charitable" behavior in bacteria populations, where individuals with the highest antibiotic resistance sacrifice so the whole population can better fight off medication.

Brain exercises may slow cognitive decline initially, but speed up dementia later
New research shows that mentally stimulating activities such as crossword puzzles, reading and listening to the radio may, at first, slow the decline of thinking skills but speed up dementia later in old age.

Protecting nerve cells from death in a model of stroke
Researchers in China have now identified a way to preserve nerve cells in a rat model of stroke.

New material may reveal inner workings of hi-temp superconductors
New measurements may help physicists develop a clearer understanding of high-temperature superconductors, whose behavior remains in many ways mysterious decades after their discovery. A new copper-based compound exhibits properties never before seen in a superconductor and could be a step toward solving part of the mystery.

Airline passengers in developing countries face 13 times crash risk as US
Passengers who fly in Developing World countries face 13 times the risk of being killed in an air accident as passengers in the First World. The more economically advanced countries in the Developing World have better overall safety records than the others, but even their death risk per flight is seven times as high as that in First World countries.

Capacity for exercise can be inherited: Finding suggests pharmaceutical drugs can be used to alter activity levels in humans
Biologists have found that voluntary activity, such as daily exercise, is a highly heritable trait that can be passed down genetically to successive generations. Working on mice in the lab, they found that activity level can be enhanced with selective breeding. Their experiments showed that mice that were bred to be high runners produced high-running offspring, indicating that the offspring had inherited the trait for activity.

Infant's gaze may be an early, but subtle, marker for autism risk
New study results show that an early marker for later communication and social delays in infants at a higher-risk for autism may be infrequent gazing at other people when unprompted. The study also found that six-month-old high-risk infants demonstrated the same level of cause and effect learning skills when compared to low-risk infants of the same age.

Ultraviolet source helps NASA spacecraft measure the origins of space weather
With a brilliant, finely tuned spark of ultraviolet light, a physicist has helped NASA scientists successfully position a crucial UV sensor inside a space-borne instrument to observe a "hidden" layer of the Sun where violent space weather can originate.

Revaccination could benefit HIV-infected children, review suggests
Researchers reviewed published data to assess HIV-infected children's immune responses to vaccines and found that most children treated with HAART remained susceptible to vaccine-preventable diseases, but responded well to revaccination.

Are wolves saving Yellowstone's aspen trees from elk?
Previous research has claimed that the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park in 1995 is helping restore quaking aspen in risky areas where wolves prowl. But apparently elk hungry for winter food had a different idea. They did not know they were supposed to be responding to a "landscape of fear."

Mindfulness meditation increases well-being in adolescent boys, study finds
"Mindfulness," the process of learning to become more aware of our ongoing experiences, increases well-being in adolescent boys, a new study reports.

Researchers create 'quantum cats' made of light
Researchers have created "quantum cats" made of photons, boosting prospects for manipulating light in new ways to enhance precision measurements as well as computing and communications based on quantum physics.

Scientists identify protein that spurs formation of Alzheimer's plaques
In Alzheimer's disease, the problem is beta-amyloid, a protein that accumulates in the brain and causes nerve cells to weaken and die. Drugs designed to eliminate plaques made of beta-amyloid have a fatal problem: they need to enter the brain and remove the plaques without attacking healthy brain cells. New research, however, suggests that treatments modeled on the blockbuster cancer drug Gleevec could be the solution.