ScienceDaily: Top Science News

Tiny batteries: 3-D printing could lead to miniaturized medical implants, compact electronics, tiny robots

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:14:14 EDT

Three-dimensional printing can now be used to print lithium-ion microbatteries the size of a grain of sand. The printed microbatteries could supply electricity to tiny devices in fields from medicine to communications, including many that have lingered on lab benches for lack of a battery small enough to fit the device, yet provide enough stored energy to power them.

Personality test finds some mouse lemurs shy, others bold

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:14:14 EDT

In the last 10 years the study of animal personality has gained ground with behavioral ecologists. Researchers have now found distinct personalities in the grey mouse lemur, the tiny, saucer-eyed primate native to the African island of Madagascar.

Small dam construction to reduce greenhouse emissions is causing ecosystem disruption

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:51:51 EDT

Researchers conclude in a new report that a global push for small hydropower projects, supported by various nations and also the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, may cause unanticipated and potentially significant losses of habitat and biodiversity.

Herbal extract boosts fruit fly lifespan by nearly 25 percent

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:51:51 EDT

The herbal extract of a yellow-flowered mountain plant long used for stress relief was found to increase the lifespan of fruit fly populations by an average of 24 percent, according to researchers.

Seismic gap outside of Istanbul: Is this where the expected Marmara earthquake will originate from?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:37:37 EDT

Earthquake researchers have now identified a 30 kilometers long and ten kilometers deep area along the North Anatolian fault zone just south of Istanbul that could be the starting point for a strong earthquake. The group of seismologists say that this potential earthquake source is only 15 to 20 kilometers from the historic city center of Istanbul.

Chemical nanoengineering: Designing drugs controlled by light

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:15:15 EDT

A new breakthrough will help with the development of light-regulated therapeutic molecules.

IQ link to baby's weight gain in first month

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:11:11 EDT

New research shows that weight gain and increased head size in the first month of a baby's life is linked to a higher IQ at early school age.

Quality of waking hours determines ease of falling sleep

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:31:31 EDT

The quality of wakefulness affects how quickly a mammal falls asleep, researchers report in a study that identifies two proteins never before linked to alertness and sleep-wake balance.

New way to improve antibiotic production

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:09:09 EDT

New research findings could reduce production times and therefore costs for antibiotic producers.

Underwater springs reveal how coral reefs respond to ocean acidification

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:08:08 EDT

Ocean acidification due to rising carbon dioxide levels will reduce the density of coral skeletons, making coral reefs more vulnerable to disruption and erosion, according to a new study of corals growing where submarine springs naturally lower the pH of seawater. The study is the first to show that corals are not able to fully acclimate to low pH conditions in nature.

New drug reverses loss of brain connections in Alzheimer's

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:08:08 EDT

The first experimental drug to boost brain synapses lost in Alzheimer's disease has been developed by researchers. The drug, called NitroMemantine, combines two FDA-approved medicines to stop the destructive cascade of changes in the brain that destroys the connections between neurons, leading to memory loss and cognitive decline.

Pesticides significantly reduce biodiversity in aquatic environments

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:07:07 EDT

The pesticides, many of which are currently used in Europe and Australia, are responsible for reducing the regional diversity of invertebrates in streams and rivers by up to 42 percent, researchers report.

Bullfrogs may help spread deadly amphibian fungus, but also die from it

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:25:25 EDT

Amphibian populations are declining worldwide and a major cause is a deadly fungus thought to be spread by bullfrogs, but a two-year study shows they can also die from this pathogen, contrary to suggestions that bullfrogs are a tolerant carrier host that just spreads the disease.

Is there an invisible tug-of-war behind bad hearts and power outages?

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:24:24 EDT

Researchers report the first purely physical experimental evidence that an invisible and chaotic tug-of-war known as a chimera state can occur naturally within any process that relies on spontaneous synchronization, including clock pendulums, power grids and heart valves.

People attribute minds to robots, corpses that are targets of harm

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:24:24 EDT

As Descartes famously noted, there's no way to really know that another person has a mind -- every mind we observe is, in a sense, a mind we create. Now, new research suggests that victimization may be one condition that leads us to perceive minds in others, even in entities we don't normally think of as having minds, such as a corpse or a robot.

Artificial bone: Designing synthetic materials and quickly turning the design into reality with 3-D printing

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:23:23 EDT

Researchers have developed a new method to design synthetic materials and quickly turn the design into reality using computer optimization and 3-D printing.

Chemical in antibacterial soap fed to nursing rats harms offspring, study finds

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:21:21 EDT

A mother's exposure to triclocarban, a common antibacterial chemical, while nursing her babies shortens the life of her female offspring, a new study in rats finds.

Genetic diversity key to survival of honey bee colonies

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:13:13 EDT

When it comes to honey bees, more mates is better. A new study shows that genetic diversity is key to survival in honey bee colonies -- meaning a colony is less likely to survive if its queen has had a limited number of mates.

Mice in a 'Big Brother' setup develop social structures

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:13:13 EDT

New research into mouse social behavior finds signs of leadership and reveals features of "autistic" mouse society.

Jet stream changes cause climatically exceptional Greenland Ice Sheet melt

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:12:12 EDT

Scientists have shown that unusual changes in atmospheric jet stream circulation caused the exceptional surface melt of the Greenland Ice Sheet in summer 2012.

New 'embryonic' subduction zone found

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:46:46 EDT

A new subduction zone forming off the coast of Portugal heralds the beginning of a cycle that will see the Atlantic Ocean close as continental Europe moves closer to America.

Cheetah-cub: A robot that runs like a cat

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:46:46 EDT

Thanks to its legs, whose design faithfully reproduces feline morphology, a four-legged "cheetah-cub robot" has the same advantages as its model: it is small, light and fast. Still in its experimental stage, the robot will serve as a platform for research in locomotion and biomechanics.

Sibling aggression linked to poor mental health

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:11:11 EDT

Fights between siblings are so common they’re often dismissed as simply part of growing up. Yet a new study finds that sibling aggression is associated with significantly worse mental health in children and adolescents. In some cases, effects of sibling aggression on mental health were the same as those of peer aggression.

When it comes to mammals, how big is too big?

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 21:07:07 EDT

Mammals vary enormously in size, from weighing less than a penny to measuring more than three school buses in length. Some groups of mammals have become very large, such as elephants and whales, while others have always been small, like primates. A new theory provides an explanation for why and how certain groups of organisms are able to evolve gigantic sizes, whereas others are not.

Mapping translation sites in the human genome

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 15:52:52 EDT

Scientists have produced the first genome-wide investigation of cap-independent translation, identifying thousands of mRNA sequences that act as Translation Enhancing Elements, which are RNA sequences upstream of the coding region that help recruit the ribosome to the translation start site.

'Cold snap' 116 million years ago triggered marine ecosystem crisis

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 15:52:52 EDT

A "cold snap" 116 million years ago triggered a similar marine ecosystem crisis to the ones witnessed in the past as a result of global warming, according to new research. The international study confirms the link between global cooling and a crash in the marine ecosystem during the mid-Cretaceous greenhouse period.

Memory-boosting chemical identified in mice: Cell biologists find molecule targets a key biological pathway

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:48:48 EDT

Memory improved in mice injected with a small, drug-like molecule discovered by researchers studying how cells respond to biological stress.

Mystery of X-ray light from black holes solved

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:05:05 EDT

Astrophysicists using high-powered computer simulartions demonstrate that gas spiraling toward a black hole inevitably results in X-ray emissions.

Study of oceans' past raises worries about their future

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:16:16 EDT

Scientists have now completed the first global study of changes that occurred in a crucial component of ocean chemistry, the nitrogen cycle, at the end of the last ice age. The results of their study confirm that oceans are good at balancing the nitrogen cycle on a global scale. But the data also shows that it is a slow process that may take many centuries, or even millennia, raising worries about the effects of the scale and speed of current changes in the ocean.

Wild cheetah accelerate fast and reach speeds of up to 58 miles per hour during a hunt

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:29:29 EDT

Researchers have captured the first detailed information on the hunting dynamics of the wild cheetah in its natural habitat. Using an innovative GPS and motion sensing collar that they designed, biologists were able to record remarkable speeds of up to 58 miles per hour.

Menopause may be an unintended outcome of men's preference for younger mates

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:26:26 EDT

After decades of laboring under other theories that never seemed to add up, biologists have concluded that menopause is actually an unintended outcome of natural selection generated by men's historical preference for younger mates.

Can you feel me now? New array measures vibrations across skin, may help engineers design tactile displays

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:26:26 EDT

A new array measures vibrations across skin may help engineers design tactile displays.

From the mouths of babes: Toddlers' speech is far more advanced than previously thought

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:25:25 EDT

The sound of small children chattering away as they learn to talk has always been considered cute -- but not particularly sophisticated. However, new research has shown that toddlers' speech is far more advanced than previously understood.

A turbocharger for nerve cells: Key mechanism boosts the signaling function of neurons in brain

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:25:25 EDT

Locating a car that's blowing its horn in heavy traffic, channel-hopping between football and a thriller on TV without losing the plot, and not forgetting the start of a sentence by the time we have read to the end -- we consider all of these to be normal everyday functions. They enable us to react to fast-changing circumstances and to carry out even complex activities correctly. For this to work, the neuron circuits in our brain have to be very flexible. Scientists have now discovered an important molecular mechanism that turns neurons into true masters of adaptation.

Flare star WX UMa becomes 15 times brighter in less than 3 minutes

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:22:22 EDT

Astrophysicists have detected a star of low luminosity which within a matter of moments gave off a flare so strong that it became almost 15 times brighter. The star in question is the flare star WX UMa.

Odors from human skin cells can be used to identify melanoma

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:33:33 EDT

Researchers identified odorants from human skin cells that can be used to identify melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. In addition a nanotechnology-based sensor could reliably differentiate melanoma cells from normal skin cells. Non-invasive odor analysis may be a valuable technique in the detection and early diagnosis of human melanoma.

Nanoparticle opens the door to clean-energy alternatives

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:28:28 EDT

Cheaper clean-energy technologies could be made possible thanks to a new discovery. An important chemical reaction that generates hydrogen from water is effectively triggered -- or catalyzed -- by a nanoparticle composed of nickel and phosphorus, two inexpensive elements that are abundant on Earth.

Context crucial when it comes to mutations in genetic evolution

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:28:28 EDT

Evolutionary biologists have found that whether a given mutation is good or bad is often determined by other mutations associated with it. In other words, genetic evolution is context-dependent.

Warm ocean drives most Antarctic ice shelf loss

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:28:28 EDT

Ocean waters melting the undersides of Antarctic ice shelves, not icebergs calving into the sea, are responsible for most of the continent's ice loss, a new study has found.

Putting flesh on the bones of ancient fish: Synchrotron X-rays reconstruct soft tissue on 380-million-year-old fish

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:28:28 EDT

Scientists present for the first time miraculously preserved musculature of 380 million year old armored fish discovered in north-west Australia. This research will help scientists to better understand how neck and abdominal muscles evolved during the transition from jawless to jawed vertebrates.

How diving mammals evolved underwater endurance

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:28:28 EDT

Scientists have shed new light on how diving mammals, such as the sperm whale, have evolved to survive for long periods underwater without breathing.

Medieval leprosy genomes shed light on disease's history

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:26:26 EDT

Scientists have reconstructed a dozen medieval and modern leprosy genomes -- suggesting a European origin for the North American leprosy strains found in armadillos and humans, and a common ancestor of all leprosy bacteria within the last 4000 years.

Gustatory tug-of-war key to whether salty foods taste good

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:26:26 EDT

As anyone who's ever mixed up the sugar and salt while baking knows, too much of a good thing can be inedible. What hasn't been clear, though, is how our tongues and brains can tell when the saltiness of our food has crossed the line from yummy to yucky -- or, worse, something dangerous. Now researchers report that in fruit flies, at least, that process is controlled by competing input from two different types of taste-sensing cells: one that attracts flies to salty foods, and one that repels them.

Evidence for extrasolar planet under construction

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:35:35 EDT

The keen vision of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has detected a mysterious gap in a vast protoplanetary disk of gas and dust swirling around the nearby star TW Hydrae, located 176 light-years away in the constellation Hydra (the Sea Serpent). The gap's presence is best explained as due to the effects of a growing, unseen planet that is gravitationally sweeping up material and carving out a lane in the disk, like a snow plow.

World population could be nearly 11 billion by 2100

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 11:19:19 EDT

A new United Nations analysis shows the world population could reach nearly 11 billion by the end of the century, about 800 million more people than the previous projection issued in 2011.

Light-carved 'nano-volcanoes' hold promise for drug delivery

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 10:44:44 EDT

Researchers have developed a method for creating "nano-volcanoes" by shining various colors of light through a nanoscale "crystal ball" made of a synthetic polymer. These nano-volcanoes can store precise amounts of other materials and hold promise for new drug-delivery technologies.

First evidence of a new phase in neutron stars

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 09:22:22 EDT

The nuclear ‘pasta’, called as such due its similarity to the Italian food, limits the period of rotation of pulsars, and astronomers have detected the first evidence of existence of a new phase of matter in the inner crust of neutron stars.

Discovery of new material state counterintuitive to laws of physics

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 22:42:42 EDT

When you squeeze something, it gets smaller -- unless you're among a group of scientists who have seemingly defied the laws of physics and found a way to apply pressure to make a material expand instead of compress/contract.

Silicon-based nanoparticles could make LEDs cheaper, greener to produce

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 22:41:41 EDT

Researchers have created a material they say would make LED bulbs cheaper and greener to manufacture, driving down the price. Their silicon-based nanoparticles soften the blue light emitted by LEDs, creating white light that more closely resembles sunlight.

Sleep mechanism identified that plays role in emotional memory

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 22:41:41 EDT

Sleep researchers have identified the sleep mechanism that enables the brain to consolidate emotional memory and found that a popular prescription sleep aid heightens the recollection of and response to negative memories.

Rapid adaptation is purple sea urchins' weapon against ocean acidification

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:40:40 EDT

In the race against climate change and ocean acidification, some sea urchins may still have a few tricks up their spiny sleeves, suggesting that adaptation will likely play a large role for the sea creatures as the carbon content of the ocean increases.

Altitude may affect the way language is spoken

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:33:33 EDT

Until recently most linguists believed that the relationship between the structure of language and the natural world was mainly the influence of the environment on vocabulary. Now, a new study shows that there is a link between geographical elevation and the way language is spoken. Ejectives are sounds made, and incorporated into language, only at higher altitudes.

Infants express non-verbal sympathy for others in distress

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:33:33 EDT

Infants as young as ten months old express sympathy for others in distress in non-verbal ways, according to new research.

Scan predicts whether therapy or meds will best lift depression

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 16:23:23 EDT

Pre-treatment scans of brain activity predicted whether depressed patients would best achieve remission with an antidepressant medication or psychotherapy, in a study that may help mental health treatment decision-making move beyond trial-and-error. The study sought to identify a biomarker that could predict which type of treatment a patient would benefit from based on the state of his or her brain.

NASA's Chandra turns up black hole bonanza in galaxy next door

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:40:40 EDT

Using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, astronomers have discovered an unprecedented bonanza of black holes in the Andromeda Galaxy, one of the nearest galaxies to the Milky Way. Using more than 150 Chandra observations, spread over 13 years, researchers identified 26 black hole candidates, the largest number to date, in a galaxy outside our own. Many consider Andromeda to be a sister galaxy to the Milky Way. The two ultimately will collide, several billion years from now.

Iron fertilization, process of putting iron into ocean to help capture carbon, could backfire

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:48:48 EDT

A study suggests that iron fertilization, the process of putting iron into the ocean to encourage the growth of carbon dioxide capturing alga blooms, could backfire.

Easy and effective therapy to restore sight: Engineered virus will improve gene therapy for blinding eye diseases

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:48:48 EDT

Gene therapy using adeno-associated virus has successfully restored sight to people with a rare inherited retinal degeneration, but current therapy requires injecting the virus directly into the retina. Researchers have now caused AAV to evolve so that it is able to penetrate the retina, allowing doctors to inject the virus and its gene load into the vitreous to reach all cells of the retina. This broadens AAV's potential application to more common types of vision loss.

Male guppies reproduce long after death

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:34:34 EDT

Performing experiments in a river in Trinidad, evolutionary biologists have found that male guppies -- small freshwater fish -- continue to reproduce for at least ten months after they die, living on as stored sperm in females, who have much longer lifespans than males. While it is well known that guppies store sperm, biologists had never before thought of the extent of the storage.

Filmmaking magic with polymers

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:31:31 EDT

Self-assembled copolymer block film is now being fabricated with intricately organized nanostructures, giving them multiple functions and flexibility on a macroscale level never before seen.

When will the next megathrust hit the west coast of North America?

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:31:31 EDT

A new study presents our first glimpse back in geologic time of the recurrence interval of large and megathrust earthquakes impacting the vulnerable BC outer coastline.