With autism on the rise, science is on the hunt for answers

Scientists have used two brain imaging techniques to study autism. They found a correlation between brain activity, amino acid byproduct concentrations, and severity of autism diagnosis.

from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://bit.ly/2HH3Jl4

Extremely high blood pressure in African-Americans is 5 times the national average

Extremely high blood pressure that leads to strokes, heart attacks and acute kidney damage, classified as hypertensive emergency, is five times higher in inner-city African-American patients than the national average, according to a recent study.

from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://bit.ly/2SkEBoi

New molecular player in heart enlargement due to cardiac disease

Researchers have found that an RNA-binding protein called Lin28 is crucial for pathological hypertrophy, an enlargement of the heart associated with diverse cardiac diseases.

from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://bit.ly/2CT0cdY

Calorie restriction prevents asthma symptoms linked to inflammation in mice

Experimenting with mice, researchers report that a low-calorie diet prevented asthma symptoms regardless of the diet's fat and sugar content. The researchers also say they found that obesity resulting from a high-calorie diet led to asthma symptoms in the animals by causing lung inflammation, and a drug that blocks inflammation eased those symptoms.

from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://bit.ly/2FZw5Wb

Sustainable and recyclable thermoelectric paper

Researchers have created a new concept of thermoelectric material. It is a device composed of cellulose, produced in situ in the laboratory by bacteria, with small amounts of a conductive nanomaterial, carbon nanotubes, using a sustainable and environmentally friendly strategy.

from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://bit.ly/2WvXkN6

Novel autism mouse model based on an epigenetic gene developed

In a new study, researchers describe how, in a novel mouse model, epigenetic regulation negatively impacts a downstream gene specifically involved in neurodevelopment and associated behaviors.

from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://bit.ly/2RsPMXQ

Toppled train offers insight into ground motion, origin of 1906 earthquake

By mathematically modeling the movements of a locomotive that toppled from the tracks north of San Francisco during the city's infamous 1906 earthquake, researchers have calculated a lower limit on the earthquake ground motion at the spot of the tipped train.

from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://bit.ly/2B64cHZ

Miscanthus with improved winter-hardiness could benefit northern growers

The cold-sensitivity of Miscanthus, a perennial biomass crop, has limited its adoption in northern climes, but new research shows a way forward for would-be Miscanthus growers in cold regions.

from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://bit.ly/2TjNY4R

Deep history of archaic humans in southern Siberia

Scientists have identified the earliest evidence of some of the first known humans -- Denisovans and Neanderthals, in southern Siberia.

from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://bit.ly/2GbADIe

First study to find digital ads work -- on millennials

While millions of dollars are spent every day on digital advertising, no research has found these ads actually work -- until now.

from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://bit.ly/2RstEfS

Puerto Rico's 'fear lab' mentors neuroscience rigor amid diversity

A lineage of young neuroscientists from diverse backgrounds trace their scientific roots to a 'fear lab' in Puerto Rico that the National Institutes of Health has been supporting for two decades. A crucible for studies of fear extinction, the lab has so far published 80 papers -- some the first ever from Puerto Rico for certain journals. Of 130 trainees to date, 90 percent are from Puerto Rico and Latin America and half are women.

from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://bit.ly/2MJGm9j

Engineers program marine robots to take calculated risks

Engineers have now developed an algorithm that lets AUVs weigh the risks and potential rewards of exploring an unknown region. For instance, if a vehicle tasked with identifying underwater oil seeps approached a steep, rocky trench, the algorithm could assess the reward level (the probability that an oil seep exists near this trench), and the risk level (the probability of colliding with an obstacle), if it were to take a path through the trench.

from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://bit.ly/2CTebAj

New 3D imaging technique reveals how pancreatic cancers start

A new technique to study tissue samples in 3D has revealed that pancreatic cancers can start and grow in two distinct ways, solving a decades-old mystery of how tumors form. The new method could help researchers to get more information from tissue biopsies and may lead to improved treatments for pancreatic cancers.

from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://bit.ly/2FZyj88

Want healthier eating habits? Start with a workout

Researchers have found that formerly sedentary young adults who were instructed to exercise regularly for several weeks started choosing healthier foods without being asked to.

from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://bit.ly/2Tu68Ru

Exclusive: Sri Lanka halts imports of Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder pending asbestos tests

Sri Lanka has halted imports of Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder until the company proves its product is free from cancer-causing asbestos, two government officials and the product's local distributor told Reuters.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2G9WlfE

China's military-run space station in Argentina is a 'black box'

LAS LAJAS, Argentina - When China built a military-run space station in Argentina's Patagonian region it promised to include a visitors' center to explain the purpose of its powerful 16-story antenna.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2sUvzQG

Purported hackers stole U.S. evidence to discredit Mueller probe: filing

U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office said on Wednesday that self-proclaimed hackers in Russia stole evidence in an attempt to tarnish its investigation of a firm charged with funding a Russian propaganda campaign to interfere in the 2016 U.S. election.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2Ge2aIX

Russia, U.S. last-ditch talks to break nuclear pact deadlock fail: agencies

Russia and the United States failed to bridge their differences over a landmark Cold War-era arms treaty at last-ditch talks in Beijing, Russia's deputy foreign minister was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies on Thursday.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2HG8Qlz

Soft power: Australia uses hard game to tackle China in Pacific

Australia will direct more foreign aid to develop the sport of rugby league in the Pacific, officials say, bolstering a soft power offensive against China's growing influence in the region.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2MHV6px

Myanmar court rejects appeal by jailed Reuters reporters

A Myanmar court on Friday rejected the appeal of two Reuters reporters sentenced to seven years in jail on charges of breaking the Official Secrets Act, saying the defense had not provided sufficient evidence to show they were innocent.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2CfNaXG

Don't deal in Venezuelan gold, White House says, in anti-Maduro push

The White House warned traders on Wednesday not to deal in Venezuelan gold or oil following its imposition of stiff sanctions aimed at forcing socialist President Nicolas Maduro from power.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2UnWvUC

Tug-of-war: U.S. refiner Citgo caught in Venezuela political upheaval

Citgo Petroleum Corp, the eighth largest U.S. refiner and Venezuela's top foreign asset, is in the middle of a tug-of-war as the Trump administration tries to use the company as leverage to topple Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2DKxyNH

Citgo expatriate workers in U.S. ordered to return to Venezuela: sources

Venezuela has told dozens of expatriate staff working for Citgo Petroleum Corp in the United States that they must return to Caracas by the end of February, people familiar with the matter said, following U.S. sanctions aimed at forcing socialist President Nicolas Maduro from power.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2sYMZvI

Asia stocks climb to four-month high as Fed turns more cautious; dollar sags

Asia stocks rose to a four-month high on Thursday after the Federal Reserve pledged to be patient with further interest rate hikes, signaling a potential end to its tightening cycle amid signs of slowing global growth.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2MFtSjj

GM halts operations at 11 Michigan plants after utility's urgent appeal

General Motors Co said late on Wednesday it will temporarily suspend operations at 11 Michigan plants and its Warren Tech Center after a utility made an emergency appeal to users to conserve natural gas during extreme winter cold.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2Wyttn0

Venezuela detains Colombian, Spanish, French journalists

Venezuelan authorities detained three foreign journalists and a driver working for the Spanish news agency EFE on Wednesday, the company said, in the latest arrests of reporters covering U.S.-backed efforts to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2Beuvf1

Deep freeze grips U.S. Midwest, blamed for at least 12 deaths

A blast of icy polar air brought dangerously low temperatures to the U.S. Midwest on Wednesday, causing at least three more deaths while halting mail delivery and forcing residents who pride themselves on their winter hardiness to huddle indoors.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2Uuwmn4