A team of astronomers have measured an excess of X-ray radiation in the first few minutes of collapsing massive stars, which may be the signature of the supernova shock wave first escaping from the star - new evidence that X-ray detectors in space could be the first to witness new supernovae that signal the death of massive stars.   

Presently, there are about 40 million Americans over the age of 65, with the fastest-growing segment of the population over 80 years old. Traditionally, aging has been viewed as a period of progressive decline in physical, cognitive and psychosocial functioning, and aging is viewed by many as the "number one public health problem" facing Americans today.

40 years after the last Apollo spacecraft launched, readings from the Apollo 14 and 15 dust detectors have been restored by scientists with the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. 

The newly available data will make long-term analysis of the Apollo dust readings possible. Digital data from these two experiments had not been archived before, and it's believed that roughly the last year-and-a-half of the data have never been studied. The recovery of these data sets is part of the Lunar Data Project, an ongoing NSSDC effort, drawing on researchers at multiple institutions, to make the scientific data from Apollo available in modern formats.

Bacteria exposed to antibiotics for long periods find ways to resist the drugs — by quickly pumping them out of their cells, for example, or modifying the compounds so they're no longer toxic.

Antidepressants are the most widely used treatment for people with moderate to severe depression but up to two thirds of people with depression don't respond fully to antidepressants.

A new paper in The Lancet says cognitive behavioral therapy reduces symptoms of depression and helps improve patient quality of life when provided in addition to the usual care.

They say this is the first large-scale trial to test the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy, a type of talking psychotherapy, given in addition to usual care that includes antidepressants. The CoBalT study aimed to determine the best 'next step' treatment for people whose depression had not responded to medication alone. 

In modern times, we have been spoiled by the ability of the private sector to make technology shrink in both cost and size - but Moore's Law can't do that forever using regular electrical signals.

Maybe it is time for Moore's Light to take over? 

Whether or not different species of early humans interbred and produced offspring of mixed ancestry - hybridization - has been the subject of recent studies but the findings are not universally accepted.

Electronic cigarettes are booming. Germans love to smoke, but love dying not so much, and so an estimated two million people in Germany have already turned to the vapor cigarette, which many view as a healthy alternative to conventional smoking.

Some are warning of possible health risks, claiming that the long-term consequences cannot yet be foreseen, the old 'you cannot prove it it safe' impossibility, and studies to-date have been mixed.

Partof the issue is that smoking remains a hot-button issue, and so there is a general lack of substantiated facts. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research WKI in Braunschweig say they can be objective and set out to learn if e-cigarettes pollute the surrounding air. Second hand vapor, anyone?

If you looked at the "Black Marble" images of Earth at night released by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this week, you may have noticed bright areas in the largely uninhabited western part of Australia.

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