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Previously undiscovered islands of cold gas and a mysterious haze of microwaves could bring us closer to revealing the blueprint of cosmic structure.The results include the first map of carbon monoxide to cover the entire sky. Carbon monoxide is a constituent of the cold clouds that populate the Milky Way and other galaxies. Predominantly made of hydrogen molecules, these clouds provide the reservoirs from which stars are born but hydrogen molecules are difficult to detect because they do not readily emit radiation. Carbon monoxide forms under similar conditions and, even though it is much rarer, it emits light more readily and therefore is more easily detectable. So, astronomers use it to trace the clouds of hydrogen.

Older maternal age is associated with an increased change of having a child with autism.Older paternal age  is associated with an increased change of having a child with autism.Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are neurodevelopmental and behavioral disorders characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication and repetitive, sometimes obsessive, behaviors. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently estimated that as many as one in every 100 children has something in the ASD range. 

A recent study suggests that the protein hVps37A suppresses tumor growth in ovarian cancer. It says this protein is significantly reduced in ovarian cancer cells and this reduction affects a cellular signaling pathway that is associated with the membrane receptor EGFR (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor). The receptor is considered an important biological marker for the course of the disease and therapy, and also serves as a target for modern treatment of different cancer types. The cells in which hVps37A synthesis was reduced showed resistance to Cetuximab, an approved substance for inhibition of EGFR activity.

Last month, we were treated to the biggest solar storm since 2005, generating some of the most dazzling northern lights in recent memory. The source of that storm, and others like it, was the sun's magnetic field, described by invisible field lines that protrude from and loop back into the burning ball of gas. Sometimes these field lines break—snapping like a rubber band pulled too tight—and join with other nearby lines, releasing energy that can then launch bursts of plasma known as solar flares. Huge chunks of plasma from the sun's surface can hurtle toward Earth and damage orbiting satellites or bump them off their paths.

A recent study by University of Alberta researchers Elena Nicoladis and Cassandra Foursha-Stevenson in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology wanted to see whether speaking French (being bilingual) influenced how children assigned gender to objects. It yielded some interesting observations, like that in the unilingual crowd, more cows are boys and cats are girls.

A train is heading toward five people who can't escape its path and only you are close enough to do anything.  You can reroute the train onto different tracks with only one person along that route.Would you do it?A team of Michigan State University researchers recently put participants in a 3-D setting and gave them the power to kill one person (in this case, a realistic digital character) to save five. The results of the moral dilemma?  About what you would expect. 90 percent of the participants pulled a switch to reroute the boxcar, affirming that people are  okay to take a direct hand in killing someone if it saves a lot more, even if they are against killing people.

It's Valentine's Day and the wonders of nature are getting in on the act.  Luckily, ESA was there to capture the memories.Here, for your enjoyment, are the numerous ways the cosmos and the Earth hearts you.   If you want to see their slideshow with music, go here.   If you want all of the science of Valentine's Day, go here

In August of 2011, Hurricane Irene hit the Caribbean and and then traveled up parts of the eastern United States, bringing widespread wreckage in some places and, thanks to threatening midtown Manhattan, even more media coverage. The Category 3 storm whipped up water levels, generating storm surges that swept over seawalls and flooded seaside and inland communities. Some hurricane analysts suggested that Irene was a “100-year event”: a storm that only comes around once in a century. 

There's a joke that goes when a man gets married, his wife changes everything about him and then complains he's not the man she married.While it isn't entirely true, the sentiment goes both ways. So if your significant other makes a romantic effort this Valentine's Day, give them some credit for trying instead of remembering all the ways they have let you down. A new Northwestern University survey/study says that the more you believe your partner is capable of change and perceive that he or she is trying to improve, the more secure and happy you will feel in your relationship. That is true even if you think your partner could still do more to be a better partner.

A Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute clinical trial showed that treating heart attack patients with an infusion of their own heart-derived cells helps damaged hearts re-grow healthy muscle.  Patients who underwent the stem cell procedure demonstrated a significant reduction in the size of the scar left on the heart muscle by a heart attack. Patients also experienced a sizable increase in healthy heart muscle following the experimental stem cell treatments. 

You've heard or at least read about the pledge of the United States Postal Service: "Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail shall keep the postmen from their appointed rounds."  Well, that was before government workers had a union because today they quickly note that unshoveled snow, icy sidewalks, or snow plowed up against mailboxes are all exempt from that credo.

You know it's true.  It's common sense.  Continue to exercise and you will have a better life. Muscle mass will decrease as you age unless you stop it but 12 weeks of training geared towards improving muscular power in older people were shown to be highly effective for improving their functional capacity and quality of life, according to studies carried out by the Biomechanics and Physiology of Movement research group at the Public University of Navarre.