Curated News: Scientific Meetings

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If you've ever heard the boisterous courtship sounds being made at night by male frogs gathered around a pond or "watering hole" to attract mates, you may have noticed some communication similarities to those of humans enjoying a loud night out at a cocktail party or bar—that familiar cacophony with everyone essentially shouting over each other to be heard. At the 167th meeting of the ASA, researchers will describe how studying how frogs communicate is addressing some long-standing basic questions about how evolutionary processes shape the diversity of communication systems.

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Lay-language papers describing breakthroughs to be presented at upcoming Acoustical Society Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island are now available online

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In mice, a drug produces evidence of a mood lift within 24 hours and then continues working for sustained depression relief. A fast-acting antidepressant would be a welcome development for patients who must wait weeks for current drugs to take effect.

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Pregnancy affects how drugs are metabolized, which makes it difficult for physicians to prescribe appropriate dosing. A research team at the University of Illinois at Chicago has revealed new details about one particular enzyme that’s responsible for the metabolism of one-fifth of drugs on the market.

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Product designers rarely consider those over 65 to be a viable user group for popular activity-monitoring technologies.

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Researchers discover that newt hearts can regenerate, a finding that may pave the way to new therapies for people with damaged heart tissue.

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Customers paying more at a restaurant buffet perceive the food as tastier than the same food offered at a lower price, suggesting taste perception can be manipulated by price alone.

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Some preterm babies have lungs that develop abnormally. While long-term health effects of prematurity are still unclear, researchers have found that adults who were born early may have problems handling the pulmonary demands of exercise.

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Exercise-induced body temperature increases can make symptoms worse for some patients with multiple sclerosis. Researchers at Southern Methodist explore the underlying causes of the temperature regulation problems so MS patients can better reap the benefits of exercise.

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Researchers have discovered a new class of proteins capable of blocking the HIV virus from penetrating T-cells, raising hope that the proteins could be adapted for use in gels or sexual lubricants to provide a potent barrier against HIV infection.

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Breast cancer and brain tumors are not caused by viruses, according to a genetic analysis of more than 4,000 tumors that mapped the linkages between viruses and 19 different types of cancer. Study calls into question some drug trial regimes.

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Scientists successfully cure mice of acute liver failure after an overdose of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol and one of the most commonly used drugs in the United States, by boosting the liver’s ability to heal itself.

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Technion researchers have developed an underwater imaging system that allows submariners to view objects above the water's surface - without a periscope. Researchers at Israel's Technion have developed an underwater imaging system that allows submariners to view objects above the water's surface - without a periscope.

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Study suggests microbes living on our skin influence how quickly wounds heal. The findings could lead to new treatments for chronic wounds, which affect 1 in 20 elderly people.

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With lifespans of up to 31 years, naked mole rats live decades longer than would be expected based on their size. A new study links their remarkable lifespans to high levels of a quality-control protein, offering new insights on age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

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Heat and dehydration can cause a “perfect storm” of risk factors for concussion among competitive football players. University of Windsor researchers looked at the effects of extreme temperature on concussion rates during NCAA football games.

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Unhealthy lifestyle habits can accelerate the process of senescence (cell death) and the release of damaging substances from dying cells. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic for the first time demonstrate that exercise can prevent or delay this fundamental process of aging.

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Researchers from Louisiana State University found that drinking Montmorency tart cherry juice twice a day for two weeks helped increase sleep time by nearly 90 minutes among older adults with insomnia.

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A research team at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas says their new mouse model helps scientists better understand the progression of pancreatic cancer and may provide new avenues for the development of therapies.

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Researchers have found that preeclampsia patients have an overabundance of molecules that send detrimental signals. They also documented poor health outcomes in babies born to moms with the syndrome.

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Many African-American children do not get the recommended amount of calcium in their diet. A new study shows African American children with a genetic predisposition to diabetes may mitigate their risk by getting more calcium.

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College student discovers a Southern California mite far outpaces the Australian tiger beetle, the current record-holder for running speed as measured in body lengths per second. By this measure, the mite runs 20 times faster than a cheetah and the equivalent of a person running 1300 miles per hour.

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Percentage of overweight or obese children in test school drops from 56 percent to 38 percent over the course of a single school year thanks to a new nutrition program that fits into Common Core standards. Researchers say the program could be adopted nationally at little cost to schools.

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The stress hormone cortisol can negatively affect memory and learning ability in the elderly. Researchers at Loma Linda University found that showing a 20-minute funny video to healthy seniors and seniors with diabetes helped them score better on memory tests and significantly reduced their cortisol levels when compared to non-video watchers.

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Study conducted in rats offers clues about how teen drinking alters brain chemistry, suggesting early alcohol use has long-term effects on decision making.

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Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University have developed a potential combination therapy for pancreatic cancer that, when used in mice, is more effective than the chemotherapy drug traditionally used alone.

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Researchers from The Scripps Research Institute have new evidence that exercise may help reduce methamphetamine use.

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Scientists have created the first example of living human cartilage grown on a laboratory chip. The researchers ultimately aim to use their innovative 3-D printing approach to create replacement cartilage for patients with osteoarthritis or soldiers with battlefield injuries.

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New research shows that supplementation with zinc might reduce cell stress after the type of blast injury soldiers experience from IEDs.

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Iowa State University engineers and plant scientists are working together to study and develop better crops. The research team has organized an International Workshop on Engineered Crops April 28-29 in Des Moines, Iowa.

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Eastern and Western views about consciousness will clash at the 20 year anniversary conference ‘Toward a Science of Consciousness” which kicks off April 21 at the Marriott University Park Hotel at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Web-based TV channel ‘Consciousness Central’ will show plenary lectures, interviews with key figures, commentary and analysis, clips from previous conferences, scenes from the consciousness art show, poetry slam, ‘zombie blues’, and parties.

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Researchers who reviewed the outcomes of more than 470 aneurysm patients, nearly evenly divided between those whose procedure involved coiling or clipping, will present findings of their study during the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting.

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University of Washington researchers have developed software that automatically generates images of a young child's face as it ages through a lifetime. The technique is the first fully automated approach for aging babies to adults that works with variable lighting, expressions and poses.

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People who pack their cars and drive like Clark Griswold in National Lampoon’s “Vacation” pay a steep penalty when it comes to fuel economy.

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A team of researchers will present their finding that proprioception significantly improved prosthetic control in the absence of vision at the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting.

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A team of researchers announced interesting results at the 2014 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting from their investigation on the influence of Aquaporin 4 on intracranial hemorrhage.

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Georgia Tech researchers have developed a new security system that continuously monitors how a user taps and swipes a mobile device. If the movements don’t match the owner’s tendencies, the system recognizes the differences and can be programmed to lock the device.

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Ludwig researchers Irving Weissman and Jedd Wolchok will each give a talk during today’s plenary session of the AACR Annual Meeting 2014, starting at 8:45 am PT. The session, dedicated to one of the most promising and rapidly advancing areas of cancer research and therapy, is titled Targeted Immunotherapy: Mobilizing the Immune System against Cancer.

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Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute will present a wide range of new research data at the annual American Association for Cancer Research Meeting in San Diego starting Saturday, April 5, at the San Diego Convention Center. The presentations will cover a variety of topics including breast, melanoma, and prostate cancer, as well as novel methods of delivering drugs to tumors.

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Programming highlights from Experimental Biology 2014, April 26-30 in San Diego. Topics include anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, nutrition, and pharmacology.

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With biofuels being used globally on a wider scale than ever before, scientists are discussing the implications of their use on human and environmental health at the Society of Toxicology (SOT) 53rd Annual Meeting and ToxExpo in Phoenix, Ariz.

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Wheat farmers in East Africa and the Middle East are on alert after a damaging strain of a plant disease called stem rust decimated more than 10,000 hectares of wheat in southern Ethiopia, the largest wheat producer in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), according to a report discussed today at an international gathering of the world’s top wheat experts.

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Press Conference Schedule for the 247th American Chemical Society National Meeting & Exposition, March 16-20, 2014.

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Global experts will hold critical talks in Ciudad Obregón, Mexico (March 22-28) about evolving risks and opportunities for wheat, one of the world’s three key staple food crops. The meetings also will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Norman Borlaug, a legendary scientist who developed high-yielding, semi-dwarf wheat that is credited with sparking the Green Revolution and saving over 1 billion people from starvation. Borlaug’s wheat varieties were first grown in Mexico, India, Pakistan and Turkey, boosting those countries’ harvests, preventing a famine in South Asia and sparking widespread adoption of improved crop varieties and farming practices.

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The press release “Knowing whether food has spoiled without even opening the container” is now embargoed for release at 4 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, March 17, a half hour earlier than originally scheduled. The research is being presented at the 247th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society. A press conference with the researchers is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Eastern/3:30 p.m. Central time. Journalists can watch online at ustream.tv/channel/acslive.

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University of Washington researchers have found that misinformation spread widely on Twitter after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing despite efforts by users to correct rumors that were inaccurate. The researchers presented their findings at iConference 2014 in Berlin March 4-7, where they received a top award for their related publication.

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Sales of electric vehicles (EVs) nearly doubled in 2013, but most won’t take you farther than 100 miles on one charge. To boost their range toward a tantalizing 300 miles or more, researchers are reporting progress on a “breathing” battery that has the potential to one day replace the lithium-ion technology of today’s EVs. They presented their work at the 247th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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Imagine powering your cell phone by simply walking around your office or rubbing it with the palm of your hand. Rather than plugging it into the wall, you become the power source. Researchers at the 247th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, presented these commercial possibilities and a unique vision for green energy. To see a video of the team’s work, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVhJ4G-7na4.

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“Endangered” elements have allowed us to dramatically advance technology and modern life but are at risk of running out. Which elements are the scarcest? What are scientists doing to address this critical issue? Top experts in the field will answer these questions and more during a newly added press conference set to take place during the American Chemical Society’s 247th National Meeting & Exposition, which begins Sunday in Dallas.

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Advances in accelerators built for fundamental physics research have inspired improved cancer treatment facilities. But will one of the most promising—a carbon ion treatment facility—be built in the U.S.? Participants at a symposium organized by Brookhaven Lab for the 2014 AAAS meeting explored the science and surrounding issues.