Tau prevents synaptic transmission at early stage of neurodegeneration
Tau proteins are involved in more than twenty neurodegenerative diseases, including various forms of dementia. These proteins clump together in patients ’ brains to form neuronal tangles: protein aggregation that eventually coincides with the death of brain cells. A research team has now discovered how tau disrupts the functioning of nerve cells, even before it starts forming tangles. They immediately suggest a way to intervene in this process. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - May 19, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news

Synthesis of molecular hydrogen: Novel method sets benchmark for platinum-free electrocatalysts
A new paper describes a new approach to revolutionize the production of molecular hydrogen. This gas is considered to be one of the most promising energy carriers of the future. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - May 19, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news

In a neutron-rich tin nucleus, electromagnetism can win over the strong force
The atomic nucleus offers a unique opportunity to study the competition between three of the four fundamental forces known to exist in nature, the strong nuclear interaction, the electromagnetic interaction and the weak nuclear interaction. Only the much weaker gravitational force is irrelevant for the description of nuclear properties. Although in general the decay of an excited nuclear state follows the hierarchy of these forces, there are sometimes exceptions. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - May 19, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news

Erectile dysfunction medicines do not cause melanoma, analysis of large studies finds
Use of the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra does not cause the development of melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, a new report concludes. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - May 19, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news

How RNA formed at the origins of life
A single process for how a group of molecules called nucleotides were made on the early Earth, before life began, has been suggested by a team of researchers. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - May 19, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news

Mosquitoes that spread Zika virus could simultaneously transmit other viruses
Aedes aegypti, the primary mosquito that carries Zika virus, might also transmit chikungunya and dengue viruses with one bite, scientists report. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - May 19, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news

Sea level as a metronome of Earth's history
Sedimentary layers contain stratigraphic cycles and patterns that precisely reveal the succession of climatic and tectonic conditions that have occurred over millennia. Researchers have been working on an analytical method that combines observing deep-water sedimentary strata and measuring in them the isotopic ratio between heavy and light carbon. They have discovered that the cycles that punctuate these sedimentary successions are ascribable to sea level changes. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - May 19, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news

Iron deficiency restrains marine microbes
Iron is a critical nutrient in the ocean. Its importance for algae and the nitrogen cycle has already been investigated in detail. Now a new discovery shows that microbes also need iron to process phosphorus. A team of researchers has completed a study showing that iron can limit phosphorus acquisition in the ocean. Their study contributes to knowledge of nutrient cycling in the ocean. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - May 19, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news

Plasmon-powered upconversion nanocrystals for enhanced bioimaging and polarized emission
Rare-earth-doped nanocrystals have become sought-after materials for cellular bioprobes because of their long emission lifetimes and low cytotoxicity. Researchers have now discovered how to make these probes even brighter by coupling them to gold nanorods materials that can induce field-enhanced fluorescence through surface plasmon resonances. They optimized this effect by systematically varying the thickness of a protective silica coating sandwiched between the gold nanorods and the doped nanocrystals. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - May 19, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news

Flies the key to studying the causes of dementia
A research team has studied two structurally-similar proteins in the adult brain and have found that they play distinct roles in the development of dementia. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - May 19, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news

Newly discovered brain network offers clues to social cognition
By studying rhesus monkeys, researchers have identified a brain network dedicated to processing social interactions -- a discovery that offers tantalizing clues to the origins of our ability to understand what other people are thinking. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - May 19, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news

Being overweight in childhood may heighten lifetime risk of depression
New research suggests that being overweight, especially from a young age, may substantially increase the lifetime risk of major depression. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - May 19, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news

100-year-old fertility technique reduces need for IVF
Infertile couples have a major opportunity to achieve a successful pregnancy without the need for IVF, thanks to new research into a 100-year-old medical technique. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - May 18, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news

Living in a state with weak gun laws could increase risk of being shot by police
Citizens living in states with the weakest gun laws are more than twice as likely to be fatally shot by law enforcement compared to those living in states with the strongest gun laws. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - May 18, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news

Female faculty face strong glass ceiling in male-dominated university environments, study concludes
Female faculty members hoping to advance to the highest ranks of academia face significant barriers due to male-dominated environments at colleges and universities, according to a new study. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - May 18, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news