Today's Science News
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Featured Research
from universities, journals, and other organizations
Asteroid Impacts Significantly Altered Ancient Earth
July 31, 2014 — New research shows that more than four billion years ago, the surface of Earth was heavily reprocessed as a result of giant asteroid impacts. A new model based on existing lunar and terrestrial data ... full story
Fermi Satellite Detects Gamma-Rays from Exploding Novae: Surprising Discovery Dispels Long-Held Idea
July 31, 2014 — Astronomers have discover very high energy gamma rays being emitted by an exploding star. The surprising discovery dispels the long-held idea that classical nova explosions are not powerful enough to ... full story
Shrinking Dinosaurs Evolved Into Flying Birds
July 31, 2014 — Scientists have revealed how massive, meat-eating, ground-dwelling dinosaurs evolved into agile flying birds: they just kept shrinking and shrinking, for over 50 million years. ... full story
Hubble Shows Farthest Lensing Galaxy Yields Clues to Early Universe
July 31, 2014 — Astronomers have unexpectedly discovered the most distant galaxy that acts as a cosmic magnifying glass. Seen in a new image as it looked 9.6 billion years ago, this monster elliptical galaxy breaks ... full story
Deep-Sea Octopus Broods Eggs for Over Four Years -- Longer Than Any Known Animal
July 30, 2014 — Researchers have observed a deep-sea octopus brooding its eggs for four-and-a-half years -- longer than any other known animal. Throughout this time, the female kept the eggs clean and guarded them ... full story
Groundbreaking Research Maps Cultural History by Mapping Mobility of Notable Intellectuals
July 31, 2014 — New research presents a pioneering approach to understanding European and North American cultural history by mapping out the mobility patterns of notable intellectuals over a 2,000-year ... full story
Chemists Create Nanofibers Using Unprecedented New Method, Reminiscent of Fibers Found in Living Cells
July 31, 2014 — Researchers have developed a novel method for creating self-assembled protein/polymer nanostructures that are reminiscent of fibers found in living cells. The work offers a promising new way to ... full story
High-Temperature Superconductors: Neutron Scattering Experiment Resolves Contentious Superconducting Issue
July 31, 2014 — Scientists around the globe are trying to understand the phenomenon of loss-free electric power transmission by high-temperature superconductors. Materials that exhibit this effect at room ... full story
C. Difficile Vaccine Proves Safe, 100 Percent Effective in Animal Models
July 31, 2014 — An experimental vaccine protected 100 percent of animal models against the highly infectious and virulent bacterium, Clostridium difficile, which causes an intestinal disease that kills approximately ... full story
The 'Memory' of Starvation Is in Your Genes
July 31, 2014 — Epigenetic 'experiments' -- changes resulting from external rather than genetic influences -- suggest that the body's physiological responses to hardship could be inherited, although ... full story
'Rewired' Mice Show Signs of Longer Lives With Fewer Age-Related Illnesses
July 31, 2014 — While developing a new cancer drug, researchers discovered that mice lacking a specific protein live longer lives with fewer age-related illnesses. The mice, which lack the TRAP-1 protein, ... full story
Study Advances 'DNA Revolution,' Tells Butterflies' Evolutionary History
July 31, 2014 — By tracing nearly 3,000 genes to the earliest common ancestor of butterflies and moths, scientists have created an extensive “Tree of Lepidoptera” in the first study to use large-scale, ... full story
Fossils Could Be Discovered on the Moon: Signs of Ancient Life May Be Littered Across the Moon
July 31, 2014 — Physicists have tested what would happen if a piece of rock containing microscopic fossils from Earth was launched into space and hit the surface of the moon. The team turned fossil-filled rock into ... full story
Numerous Unknown Jets from Young Stars and Planetary Nebulae Discovered
July 31, 2014 — Preliminary research findings have identified hundreds of so far unknown jets from young stars, as well as numerous new planetary nebulae in the Galactic ... full story
Key to Aging Immune System: Discovery of DNA Replication Problem
July 31, 2014 — The immune system ages and weakens with time, making the elderly prone to life-threatening infection and other maladies, and scientists have now discovered a reason ... full story
- Asteroid Impacts Significantly Altered Earth
- Gamma-Rays Detected from Exploding Novae
- Shrinking Dinosaurs Evolved Into Flying Birds
- Farthest Lensing Galaxy: Early Universe Clues
- Deep-Sea Octopus Broods Eggs for Over 4 Years
- Mobility of Notable Intellectuals Mapped
- Nanofibers: New Self-Assembled Nanostructures
- Potential of High-Temperature Superconductors
- C. Difficile Vaccine 100% Effective in Animals
- The 'Memory' of Starvation Is in Your Genes
- 'Rewired' Mice Show Signs of Longer Lives
- Study Tells Butterflies' Evolutionary History
- Are There Signs of Ancient Life On the Moon?
- Unknown Jets from Planetary Nebulae
- Key to Aging Immune System: DNA Replication
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last updated on 2014-07-31 at 8:08 pm EDT
New Leads for Liver Disease Treatments: Strict Genomic Partitioning by Biological Clock Separates Key Metabolic Functions
July 31, 2014 — Much of the liver's metabolic function is governed by circadian rhythms -- our own body clock -- and researchers have now found two independent mechanisms by which this ... full story
Insular Cortex Alterations in Mouse Models of Autism
July 31, 2014 — The insular cortex is an integral "hub," combining sensory, emotional and cognitive content. Not surprisingly, alterations in insular structure and function have been reported in many psychiatric ... full story
A Mathematical Theory Proposed by Alan Turing in 1952 Can Explain the Formation of Fingers
July 31, 2014 — Researchers have shown that BMP and WNT proteins are the so-called 'Turing molecules' for creating embryonic fingers. Findings explain why polydactyly -- the development of extra fingers or toes -- ... full story
Disease Mutations in Mosaicism, Rare Condition Where Cells Within the Same Person Have Different Genetic Makeup
July 31, 2014 — Scientists have long speculated that mosaicism -- a biological phenomenon, in which cells within the same person have a different genetic makeup -- plays a bigger role in the transmission of rare ... full story
Lead in Teeth Can Tell a Body's Tale, Study Finds
July 31, 2014 — Your teeth can tell stories about you, and not just that you always forget to floss. The discovery could help police solve cold cases, an investigator has said. For instance, if an unidentified ... full story
Effect of Loud Noises on Brain Revealed in Study
July 31, 2014 — Prolonged exposure to loud noise alters how the brain processes speech, potentially increasing the difficulty in distinguishing speech sounds, according to neuroscientists. Exposure to intensely loud ... full story
Monoamine Oxidase A: Biomarker for Postpartum Depression
July 31, 2014 — Postpartum mood swings are correlated with high monoamine oxidase A binding, a study shows. For most women, the birth of their baby is one of the most strenuous but also happiest days in their lives. ... full story
Breakthrough in Understanding of Important Blood Protein
July 31, 2014 — A previously unknown protein mechanism has now been described by new research. This provides an exceptionally detailed understanding of how nature works, and it can also provide the ability to ... full story
Children and Hot Cars a Cause for Deadly Concern
July 31, 2014 — Nearly 700 children have lost their lives over the last 20 years in the United States as a result of being left in or playing in a hot car. At last count, the total in the U.S. this year is ... full story
Otzi Iceman Had Genetic Predisposition for Atherosclerosis: Much the Same in Ancient Peoples as It Is Today
July 30, 2014 — While prevalence and types of risk factors for atherosclerosis have varied over time from ancient times to modern society -- such as levels of obesity, physical activity -- genetic ... full story
- New Leads for Liver Disease Treatments
- Insular Cortex in Mouse Models of Autism
- Formation of Fingers Explained by Math Theory
- How Common Is Mosaicism in Genomic Disorders?
- Lead in Teeth Can Tell a Body's Tale
- Effect of Loud Noises On Brain Revealed
- Monoamine Oxidase A: Postpartum Depression
- Breakthrough in Understanding of Blood Protein
- Kids and Hot Cars a Cause for Deadly Concern
- Did Iceman Have Narrowing of the Arteries?
Political Attitudes Derive from Body and Mind: 'Negativity Bias' Explains Difference Between Liberals and Conservatives
July 31, 2014 — Neither conscious decision-making or parental upbringing fully explain why some people lean left and others lean right, researchers say. A mix of deep-seated psychology and physiological responses ... full story
New Mapping Approach Lets Scientists Zoom in and out as the Brain Processes Sound
July 31, 2014 — Researchers have mapped the sound-processing part of the mouse brain in a way that keeps both the proverbial forest and the trees in view. Their imaging technique allows zooming in and out on views ... full story
Pervasive Implicit Hierarchies for Race, Religion, Age Revealed by Study
July 31, 2014 — As much as social equality is advocated in the United States, a new study suggests that besides evaluating their own race and religion most favorably, people share implicit hierarchies for racial, ... full story
Benefits of E-Cigarettes Outweigh Harms, Current Evidence Suggests
July 30, 2014 — A major scientific review of available research on the use, content, and safety of e-cigarettes has concluded that -- although long-term health effects of e-cigarette use are unknown -- compared with ... full story
Fear of Losing Money, Not Spending Habits, Affects Investor Risk Tolerance
July 30, 2014 — Scientists analyzed the causes of risk tolerance and found that loss aversion, or the fear of losing money, is the primary factor that explains investors' risk ... full story
Kids With Autism and Sensory Processing Disorders Show Differences in Brain Wiring
July 30, 2014 — Researchers have found that children with sensory processing disorders have decreased structural brain connections in specific sensory regions different than those in autism, further establishing SPD ... full story
Supportive Moms and Sisters Boost Female Baboon's Rank
July 30, 2014 — A study of dominance in female baboons suggests that the route to a higher rank is to maintain close ties with mom, and to have lots of supportive ... full story
Naltrexone May Be Effective in Diminishing Impulse Control Disorders in Parkinson's Disease Patients
July 30, 2014 — Parkinson's disease (PD) patients may confront a common but largely unrecognized challenge: the occurrence of impulse control disorders (ICDs) such as compulsive gambling, sexual behavior, eating, or ... full story
Many Depressed Preschoolers Still Suffer in Later School Years
July 30, 2014 — Children diagnosed with depression as preschoolers are likely to suffer from depression as school-age children and young adolescents, new research shows. The investigators followed 246 children, now ... full story
Sugar Mimics Guide Stem Cells Toward Neural Fate
July 30, 2014 — Many growth factors that influence the fate of embryonic stem cells must bind to sugars attached to specific receptors on the surface of the cell to work. Because the sugars are difficult to ... full story
- Physiology, Psychology of Political Differences
- Mapping How Brain Processes Sound
- Implicit Hierarchies for Race, Religion, Age?
- Benefits of E-Cigarettes Outweigh Harms?
- Fear of Losing Money: Investor Risk Tolerance
- Brain Wiring: Autism and Sensory Disorders
- Supportive Moms, Sisters, Boost Baboon's Rank
- Naltrexone for Impulse Control in Parkinson's
- Many Depressed Preschoolers Still Suffer Later
- Sugar Mimics Guide Stem Cells Toward Neural Fate
Birthweight and Breastfeeding Have Implications for Children's Health Decades Later
July 30, 2014 — Young adults who were breastfed for three months or more as babies have a significantly lower risk of chronic inflammation associated with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, according to new ... full story
Numerical Learning Disability: Dyscalculia Linked to Difficulties in Reading and Spelling
July 30, 2014 — Between three and six percent of schoolchildren suffer from an arithmetic-related learning disability. Researchers now show that these children are also more likely to exhibit deficits in reading and ... full story
Soy May Help Women's Hearts If They Start Early
July 30, 2014 — A diet rich in soy may help feminine hearts, but timing matters, finds a new study. "This study underscores how important it is for women to get into the best cardiovascular shape they can before ... full story
Acupuncture Provides Significant Quality of Life Improvements Among Breast Cancer Patients Taking Drugs to Prevent Recurrence, Study Shows
July 30, 2014 — Use of electroacupuncture (EA) – a form of acupuncture where a small electric current is passed between pairs of acupuncture needles – produces significant improvements in fatigue, anxiety and ... full story
Why We Should Vaccinate Boys Against HPV as Well as Girls
July 29, 2014 — An expert in chronic illnesses says that boys should be vaccinated against the HPV virus, as well as girls, to cut incidence of genital warts and several ... full story
Five Daily Portions of Fruit and Vegetables May Be Enough to Lower Risk of Early Death
July 29, 2014 — Eating five daily portions of fruit and vegetables is associated with a lower risk of death from any cause, particularly from cardiovascular disease, but beyond five portions appears to have no ... full story
Striatal Dopamine Transporter Binding Correlates With Body Composition and Visual Attention Bias for Food Cues in Healthy Young Men
July 29, 2014 — Scientists have described a way that brain chemistry may make some people notice food more easily, which can tempt overeating even in people who are not ... full story
Dieting Young May Lead to Poor Health Outcomes Later: Trends in Dieting Strategies in Young Adult Women from 1982 to 2012
July 29, 2014 — The younger a woman is when she goes on her first diet, the more likely she is to experience several negative health outcomes later in ... full story
Drinking Sugar-Sweetened Beverages During Adolescence Impairs Memory, Animal Study Suggests
July 29, 2014 — Daily consumption of beverages sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup or sucrose can impair the ability to learn and remember information, particularly when consumption occurs during adolescence, a ... full story
Maternal Obesity Modulates Offspring Microflora Composition and Gastrointestinal Functions, Animal Study Shows
July 29, 2014 — Maternal obesity leads to marked changes in the offspring's gastrointestinal microflora composition and gastrointestinal function. This study suggests there are non-genetic factors that could be ... full story
- Birthweight, Breastfeeding: Decades of Effects
- Numerical Learning Disability Linked to Reading
- Soy May Help Women's Hearts If They Start Early
- Acupuncture, Breast Cancer, and Quality of Life
- Why We Should Vaccinate Boys Against HPV, Too
- Five Fruits and Veggies a Day for Longer Life
- Brain Chemistry: Some People Notice Food More
- Dieting Young May Lead to Poor Health Outcomes
- Do Sweetened Drinks Impair Memory in Teens?
- Gut Microbes: How Obesity Is Passed Down?
Corrosion Lab Tests Suggest Need for Underground Gas Tank Retrofits
July 31, 2014 — A hidden hazard lurks beneath many of the roughly 156,000 gas stations across the United States. The hazard is corrosion in parts of underground gas storage tanks -- corrosion that could result in ... full story
Pressure Probing Potential Photoelectronic Manufacturing Compound
July 31, 2014 — Molybdenum disulfide is a compound often used in dry lubricants. Its semiconducting ability and similarity to the carbon-based graphene makes molybdenum disulfide of interest to scientists as a ... full story
Chemists Demonstrate 'Brick-and-Mortar' Assembly of New Molecular Structures
July 31, 2014 — Chemists have described the self-assembly of large, symmetrical molecules in bricks-and-mortar fashion, a development with potential value for the field of organic electronic devices such as ... full story
Comfortable Climate Indoors With Porous Glass Incorporated Into Plaster
July 31, 2014 — Proper humidity and temperature play a key role in indoor climate. In the future, establishing a comfortable indoor environment may rely on porous glass incorporated into plaster, as this regulates ... full story
Charging Electric Cars Efficiently With Inductive Method
July 31, 2014 — We already charge our toothbrushes and cellphones using contactless technology. Researchers have developed a particularly efficient and cost-effective method that means electric cars could soon ... full story
Barnacles: Marine 'Pest' Provides Advances in Maritime Anti-Fouling and Biomedicine
July 30, 2014 — Biologists performed cutting-edge research on a marine pest that will pave the way for novel anti-fouling paint for ships and boats and also improve bio-adhesives for medical and industrial ... full story
Dissolvable Fabric Loaded With Medicine Might Offer Faster Protection Against HIV
July 30, 2014 — Bioengineers have discovered a potentially faster way to deliver a topical drug that protects women from contracting HIV. Their method spins the drug into silk-like fibers that quickly dissolve when ... full story
Finding Quantum 'Lines of Desire': Physicists Track Quantum System's Wanderings Through Quantum State Space
July 30, 2014 — What paths do quantum particles, such as atoms or photons, follow through quantum state space? Scientists have used an "artificial atom" to continuously and repeatedly record the paths through ... full story
Nature Inspires a Greener Way to Make Colorful Plastics
July 30, 2014 — Long before humans figured out how to create colors, nature had already perfected the process -- think stunning, bright butterfly wings of many different hues, for example. Now scientists are tapping ... full story
Exploring 3-D Printing to Make Organs for Transplants
July 30, 2014 — Printing whole new organs for transplants sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, but the real-life budding technology could one day make actual kidneys, livers, hearts and other organs for ... full story
- Gas Tanks Under Gas Stations May Be Leaking
- Potential Photoelectronic Manufacturing Compound
- Molecular Structures: 'Brick-And-Mortar' Build
- Comfortable Climate Indoors With Porous Glass
- Charging Electric Cars Efficiently: Induction
- Barnacles Aid Anti-Fouling and Biomedicine
- Dissolvable Fabric Delivers Medicine
- Finding Quantum 'Lines of Desire'
- Greener Way to Make Colorful Plastics
- 3-D Printing to Make Organs for Transplants
Tidal Forces Gave Moon Its Shape Early in Its History, New Analysis Finds
July 30, 2014 — The shape of the moon deviates from a simple sphere in ways that scientists have struggled to explain. A new study shows that most of the moon's overall shape can be explained by taking into account ... full story
Double Star With Weird and Wild Planet-Forming Discs
July 30, 2014 — Astronomers have found wildly misaligned planet-forming gas discs around the two young stars in the binary system HK Tauri. These new observations provide the clearest picture ever of protoplanetary ... full story
Mercury's Bizzare Magnetic Field Tells Scientists How Its Interior Is Different from Earth's
July 30, 2014 — Mercury's interior is different from the Earth's interior in a way that explains Mercury's bizarre magnetic field, planetary physicists report. Measurements from NASA's Messenger spacecraft have ... full story
Revolutionary Microshutter Technology Hurdles Significant Challenges
July 29, 2014 — NASA technologists have hurdled a number of significant technological challenges in their quest to improve an already revolutionary observing technology originally created for the James Webb Space ... full story
NASA-Funded X-Ray Instrument Settles Interstellar Debate
July 29, 2014 — New findings from a NASA-funded instrument have resolved a decades-old puzzle about a fog of low-energy X-rays observed over the entire sky. Thanks to refurbished detectors first flown on a NASA ... full story
Weighing the Milky Way: Researchers Devise Precise Method for Calculating the Mass of Galaxies
July 29, 2014 — Does the Milky Way look fat in this picture? Has Andromeda been taking skinny selfies? Using a new, more accurate method for measuring the mass of galaxies, and international group of researchers has ... full story
Mysterious Molecules in Space: Silicon-Capped Hydrocarbons May Be Source of 'Diffuse Interstellar Bands'
July 29, 2014 — New research has offered a tantalizing new possibility in the realm of interstellar molecules and diffuse interstellar bands: these mysterious molecules may be silicon-capped hydrocarbons like SiC3H, ... full story
The Quantum Cheshire Cat: Can Neutrons Be Located at a Different Place Than Their Own Spin?
July 29, 2014 — Can neutrons be located at a different place than their own spin? A quantum experiment demonstrates a new kind of quantum paradox. The Cheshire Cat featured in Lewis Caroll's novel "Alice in ... full story
NASA Long-Lived Mars Opportunity Rover Passes 25 Miles of Driving
July 28, 2014 — NASA's Opportunity Mars rover, which landed on the Red Planet in 2004, now holds the off-Earth roving distance record after accruing 25 miles (40 kilometers) of driving. The previous record was held ... full story
Printing the Metals of the Future
July 28, 2014 — 3-D printers can create all kinds of things, from eyeglasses to implantable medical devices, straight from a computer model and without the need for molds. But for making spacecraft, engineers ... full story
- Early Tidal Forces Gave Moon Its Shape
- Double Star: Weird, Wild Planet-Forming Discs
- Magnetism of Earth, Mercury: Insides Differ
- Microshutter Technology Hurdles Big Challenges
- X-Ray Instrument Settles Interstellar Debate
- Weighing the Milky Way: Half Andromeda's Mass
- Source of Mysterious Molecules in Space?
- Quantum Paradox: Neutrons Separated from Spin?
- Mars Opportunity Rover: 25 Miles of Driving
- Printing the Metals of the Future
Singing the Same Tune: Scientists Develop Novel Ways of Separating Birdsong Sources
July 31, 2014 — A new study could greatly improve current methods of localizing birdsong data. The study demonstrates the validity of using approximate maximum likelihood (AML) algorithms to determine the direction ... full story
Giving Emotions to Virtual Characters
July 31, 2014 — Researchers were able to simulate human facial expressions in virtual characters and use them in order to create better environments within a virtual ... full story
Spin-Based Electronics: New Material Successfully Tested
July 30, 2014 — Spintronics is a new field of electronics, using electron spin rather than motion. This technology requires insulating components that can control this quantum property. Scientists have shown ... full story
Good News for Couch Potatoes: 3-D TV May Be the Victim of Negative Preconceptions
July 30, 2014 — An academic led a lab-based research, involving 433 viewers of ages from 4 to 82 years, in which participants were asked to watch Toy Story in either 2-D or 3-D (S3D) and report on their viewing ... full story
Vision-Correcting Display Makes Reading Glasses So Yesterday
July 29, 2014 — Researchers are developing vision-correcting displays that can compensate for a viewer's visual impairments to create sharp images without the need for glasses or contact lenses. The technology could ... full story
Optimum Inertial Self-Propulsion Design for Snowman-Like Nanorobot
July 29, 2014 — A new study investigates the effects of small but finite inertia on the propulsion of micro and nano-scale swimming machines. Scale plays a major role in locomotion. Swimming microorganisms, such as ... full story
Kill Switch in Cell Phones Could Save Consumers More Than $3.4 Billion Annually
July 29, 2014 — A new study shows consumer savings from the Kill Switch legislation exceed initial projections and now points to well over $3 billion. This savings to consumers comes at the expense of insurance and ... full story
Using TV, Videos or a Computer Game as a Stress Reducer After a Tough Day at Work Can Lead to Feelings of Guilt and Failure
July 29, 2014 — It seems common practice: After a long day at work, most people sometimes just want to turn on the TV or play a video or computer game to calm down and relax. However, in a new study researchers ... full story
Google Searches May Hold Key to Future Market Crashes, Researchers Find
July 28, 2014 — A team of researchers has developed a method to automatically identify topics that people search for on Google before subsequent stock market ... full story
A Transistor-Like Amplifier for Single Photons
July 28, 2014 — Scientists have achieved a twentyfold amplification of single-photon signals with the help of an ultracold quantum ... full story
- New Ways of Separating Birdsong Sources
- Giving Emotions to Virtual Characters
- Spin-Based Electronics: New Material Successful
- 3-D TV May Be Victim of Negative Preconceptions
- Vision-Correcting Displays: No Glasses Needed
- Swimming for Snowman-Like Nanorobots?
- Cell Phone Kill Switch Could Save Billions
- Media Can Make a Tough Day Worse
- Google Searches: Key to Future Market Crashes?
- A Transistor-Like Amplifier for Single Photons
Oldest Rove Beetle in the Omaliini Tribe Found in French Amber
July 31, 2014 — Scientists have discovered and described a rove beetle that is the oldest definitive member of the tribe Omaliini that has ever been found in ... full story
Gulf Oil Spill Researcher: Bacteria Ate Some Toxins, but Worst Remain, Research Finds
July 31, 2014 — Bacteria in the Gulf of Mexico consumed many of the toxic components of the oil released during the Deepwater Horizon spill in the months after the spill, but not the most toxic contaminants, new ... full story
Brother of Hibiscus Flower Is Found Alive and Well on Maui, Hawaii
July 31, 2014 — Most people are familiar with Hibiscus flowers -- they are an iconic symbol of tropical resorts worldwide where they are commonly planted in the landscape. Only a few, however, are aware of an ... full story
Boat Noise Impacts Development, Survival of Sea Hares
July 31, 2014 — The development and survival of an important group of marine invertebrates known as sea hares is under threat from increasing boat noise in the world's oceans, according to a new study. Sea hares ... full story
Bees Able to Spot Which Flowers Offer Best Rewards Before Landing
July 30, 2014 — Bumblebees are able to connect differences in pollen quality with floral features, like petal color, and so land only on the flowers that offer the best rewards, according to a new ... full story
How Black Truffles Deal With Jumpers in Their Genome
July 30, 2014 — Black truffles, also known as Périgord truffles, have a syrupy sweet flavor and are highly prized in haute cuisine. They are fungi that grow on the roots of oak and hazelnut trees, and are the ... full story
Mechanism Promoting Multiple DNA Mutations Described by Scientists
July 30, 2014 — Recent studies have shown that cancer development frequently involves the formation of multiple mutations that arise simultaneously and in close proximity to each other. These groups of clustered ... full story
Classic Lewis Carroll Character Inspires New Ecological Model
July 30, 2014 — Inspired by the Red Queen in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, researchers have improved a 35-year-old ecology model to better understand how species evolve over decades to millions of ... full story
Pesticide DDT Linked to Slow Metabolism, Obesity and Diabetes, Mouse Study Finds
July 30, 2014 — A new study in mice is the first to show that developmental exposure to DDT increases the risk of females later developing metabolic syndrome -- a cluster of conditions that include increased body ... full story
Vocal Variety in African Penguins: Four Basic Vocalizations Used for Adult Communication, Two More for the Young
July 30, 2014 — Adult African penguins communicate using four different vocalizations and juveniles and chicks use two begging calls to request ... full story
- Amber: Oldest Rove Beetle in Omaliini Tribe
- Gulf Oil Spill: Worst Toxins Remain: Study
- Brother of Hibiscus Alive and Well On Maui
- Boat Noise Impacts Survival of Sea Hares
- Bees Can Spot Which Flowers Offer Best Rewards
- How Black Truffles Deal With Jumpers in Genome
- Mechanism Promoting Multiple DNA Mutations
- Classic Character Inspires New Ecological Model
- Pesticide DDT Linked to Metabolic Syndrome
- Vocal Variety in African Penguins
Antarctic Ice Sheet Is Result of Carbon Dioxide Decrease, Not Continental Breakup
July 30, 2014 — Climate modelers have shown that the most likely explanation for the initiation of Antarctic glaciation during a major climate shift 34 million years ago was decreased carbon dioxide levels. The ... full story
Saving Seeds the Right Way Can Save the World's Plants
July 30, 2014 — Exotic pests, shrinking ranges and a changing climate threaten some of the world's most rare and ecologically important plants, and so conservationists establish seed collections to save the seeds in ... full story
Dimly Lit Working Environments: Correcting Body Clock Is Possible
July 30, 2014 — Researchers have, for the first time, conducted a study under real conditions on the body clocks of members of an international polar research station. The researchers have shown that a particular ... full story
Decades-Old Amber Collection Offers New Views of a Lost World: Tiny Grasshopper Encased in Amber
July 30, 2014 — Scientists are searching through a massive collection of 20-million-year-old amber found in the Dominican Republic more than 50 years ago, and the effort is yielding fresh insights into ancient ... full story
Scientists Caution Against Exploitation of Deep Ocean
July 30, 2014 — The world's oceans are vast and deep, yet rapidly advancing technology and the quest for extracting resources from previously unreachable depths is beginning to put the deep seas on the cusp of ... full story
Climate Extremes Are Here to Stay: Expect More Heat Waves and Cold Snaps
July 30, 2014 — Researchers show how they've used advanced computational data science tools to demonstrate that despite global warming, we may still experience severe cold snaps due to increasing variability in ... full story
New Catalyst Converts Carbon Dioxide to Fuel
July 30, 2014 — Scientists have synthesized a catalyst that improves their system for converting waste carbon dioxide into syngas, a precursor of gasoline and other energy-rich products, bringing the process closer ... full story
Peru's Carbon Quantified: Economic and Conservation Boon
July 30, 2014 — Today scientists unveiled the first high-resolution map of the carbon stocks stored on land throughout the entire country of Peru. The new and improved methodology used to make the map marks a sea ... full story
All-in-One Energy System Offers Greener Power for Off–grid Homes, Farms and Businesses
July 30, 2014 — An innovative ‘trigeneration’ system fuelled entirely by raw plant oils could have great potential for isolated homes and businesses operating outside grid ... full story
Underwater Elephants: Mixed Impacts of the World's Largest -- And Threatened -- Parrotfish
July 29, 2014 — Scientists recently got back to basics in order to discover the positive and negative effects that bumphead parrotfish exert on coral reef ecosystems. Using direct observation, animal tracking and ... full story
- Antarctic Ice Sheet Rose as Carbon Dioxide Fell
- Saving Seeds Right Way Can Save World's Plants
- Correct Body Clock With Dimly Lit Environments
- Lost World Found in 20-Million-Year-Old Amber
- Caution Against Exploitation of Deep Ocean
- Expect More Heat Waves and Cold Snaps
- New Catalyst Converts Carbon Dioxide to Fuel
- Peru's Carbon: Economic, Conservation Boon
- Greener Power for Off–Grid Homes and Businesses
- Impacts of Large Threatened Parrotfish
Scientists Reproduce Evolutionary Changes by Manipulating Embryonic Development of Mice
July 30, 2014 — By modifying the embryonic development of mice, scientists have reproduced in the laboratory the changes in teeth shape which, in mammals, took millions of years of evolution to take ... full story
Ice Age Lion Figurine: Ancient Fragment of Ivory Belonging to 40,000 Year Old Animal Figurine Unearthed
July 30, 2014 — Archaeologists have found an ancient fragment of ivory belonging to a 40,000 year old animal figurine. Both pieces were found in the Vogelherd Cave in southwestern Germany, which has yielded a number ... full story
Chinese Mosquitoes on the Baltic Sea: Ancient Insect Inclusions in East-Asian Amber
July 30, 2014 — The analysis of the roughly 3,000 pieces is still in its infant stage. But it is already evident that the results will be of major significance. The Baltic amber comes from the Baltic Sea region, ... full story
Fossils Found in Siberia Suggest All Dinosaurs Could Have Been Feathered
July 30, 2014 — The first ever example of a plant-eating dinosaur with feathers and scales has been discovered in Russia. Previously only flesh-eating dinosaurs were known to have had feathers, so this new find ... full story
Prehistoric Dairy Farming at the Extremes
July 29, 2014 — Finland's love of milk has been traced back to 2500 BC, thanks to high-tech techniques to analyze residues preserved in fragments of ancient ... full story
Violent Aftermath for the Warriors at Alken Enge
July 29, 2014 — Denmark attracted international attention in 2012 when archaeological excavations revealed the bones of an entire army, whose warriors had been thrown into the bogs near the Alken Enge wetlands in ... full story
Dinosaurs Fell Victim to Perfect Storm of Events, Study Shows
July 28, 2014 — Dinosaurs might have survived the asteroid strike that wiped them out if it had taken place slightly earlier or later in history, scientists say. They found that in the few million years before a ... full story
Fire Ecology Manipulation by California Native Cultures
July 26, 2014 — Before the colonial era, 100,000s of people lived on the land now called California, and many of their cultures manipulated fire to control the availability of plants they used for food, fuel, tools, ... full story
Earlier Stone Age Artifacts Found in Northern Cape of South Africa
July 24, 2014 — Excavations at an archaeological site at Kathu in the Northern Cape province of South Africa have produced tens of thousands of Earlier Stone Age artifacts, including hand axes and other ... full story
Biologist Warn of Early Stages of Earth's Sixth Mass Extinction Event
July 24, 2014 — The planet's current biodiversity, the product of 3.5 billion years of evolutionary trial and error, is the highest in the history of life. But it may be reaching a tipping point. Scientists caution ... full story
- Scientists Reproduce Evolutionary Changes
- Ancient Ivory Lion Figurine Unearthed
- Ancient Chinese Mosquitoes On the Baltic Sea
- Did All Dinosaurs Have Feathers? Fossil Clues
- Prehistoric Dairy Farming at the Extremes
- Violent Aftermath for Warriors at Alken Enge
- Dinosaurs: Victim to Perfect Storm of Events
- Fire Ecology Manipulation by California Natives
- Earlier Stone Age Artifacts Found in S. Africa
- Biologists Warn of Earth's 6th Mass Extinction
Superman's Solar-Powered Feats Break a Fundamental Law of Physics
July 30, 2014 — It goes without saying that Superman can accomplish some pretty spectacular feats. But according to students, the Man of Steel actually achieves the impossible--by breaking the fundamental physics ... full story
Urbanization of Rural Africa Associated With Increased Risk of Heart Disease and Diabetes
July 29, 2014 — The increasing urbanization of rural areas in sub-Saharan Africa could lead to an explosion in incidences of heart disease and diabetes, according to a new study carried out in Uganda that found that ... full story
Brainwaves Can Predict Audience Reaction of Television Programming
July 29, 2014 — By analyzing the brainwaves of 16 individuals as they watched mainstream television content, researchers were able to accurately predict the preferences of large TV audiences, up to 90 percent in the ... full story
Brand-Specific Television Alcohol Ads a Significant Predictor of Brand Consumption Among Underage Youth
July 29, 2014 — Underage drinkers are three times more likely to drink alcohol brands that advertise on television programs they watch compared to other alcohol brands, providing new and compelling evidence of a ... full story
Menu Secrets That Can Make You Slim by Design
July 29, 2014 — If you've ever ordered the wrong food at a restaurant, don't blame yourself; blame the menu. What you order may have less to do with what you want and more to do with a menu's layout and ... full story
First Grade Reading Suffers in Segregated Schools
July 29, 2014 — A groundbreaking study has found that African-American students in first grade experience smaller gains in reading when they attend segregated schools -- but the students' backgrounds likely are not ... full story
Worldwide Water Shortage by 2040
July 29, 2014 — Water is used around the world for the production of electricity, but new research results show that there will not be enough water in the world to meet demand by 2040 if the energy and power ... full story
Impact of Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Coral Is Deeper and Broader Than Predicted
July 28, 2014 — A new discovery of two additional coral communities showing signs of damage from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill expands the impact footprint of the 2010 spill in the Gulf of ... full story
'Nuisance Flooding' an Increasing Problem as Coastal Sea Levels Rise
July 28, 2014 — Eight of the top 10 US cities that have seen an increase in so-called 'nuisance flooding' -- which causes such public inconveniences as frequent road closures, overwhelmed storm drains and ... full story
Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 1 Most Prevalent Worldwide
July 28, 2014 — In one of the largest prevalence studies to date, researchers from the UK provide national, regional, and global genotype prevalence estimates for the hepatitis C virus. Findings indicate that ... full story
- Superman 'Breaks' a Fundamental Law of Physics
- Africa: Urbanization Linked to More Diabetes
- Brainwaves of Few Predict TV Preferences of Many
- Underage Drinkers Influenced by Alcohol Ads
- Menu Secrets That Can Make You Slim by Design
- Segregated Schools: First Grade Reading Suffers
- Worldwide Water Shortage by 2040
- Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Impact On Coral
- Coastal Flooding Worse on East Coast of U.S.
- Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 1: Most Prevalent
It Takes More Than Practice to Excel
July 28, 2014 — Psychologists have overturned a 20-year-old theory that people who excel in their fields are those who practiced the ... full story
Shift Work Linked to Heightened Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
July 24, 2014 — Shift work is linked to a heightened risk of developing type 2 diabetes, with the risk seemingly greatest among men and those working rotating shift patterns, indicates an analysis of the available ... full story
Powerful New Source of Up-to-Date Information on Economic Activity
July 10, 2014 — Researchers have developed a new data infrastructure for measuring economic activity. The infrastructure uses aggregated and de-identified data on transactions and account balances from Check, a ... full story
Computer Security: 'Melbourne Shuffle' Secures Data in the Cloud
July 10, 2014 — Encryption might not be enough for all that data stored in the cloud. Usage patterns -- which files are accessed and when -- can give away secrets as well. Computer scientists have developed an ... full story
Neuroeconomists Confirm Warren Buffett's Wisdom: Brain Research Suggests an Early Warning Signal Tips Off Smart Traders
July 7, 2014 — Investment magnate Warren Buffett has famously suggested that investors should try to 'be fearful when others are greedy and be greedy only when others are fearful.' That turns out to be excellent ... full story
Putting a Price Tag on the 2 Degree Celsius Climate Target
July 2, 2014 — Addressing climate change will require substantial new investment in low-carbon energy and energy efficiency -- but no more than what is currently spent on today's fossil-dominated energy system, ... full story
Oil Palm Plantations Threaten Water Quality, Scientists Say
June 30, 2014 — Indonesia pays a price for a lucrative crop used in many household products. Palm plantations damage freshwater streams that supply drinking water to millions of people. Found in thousands of ... full story
Are You Seen as a Jerk at Work? Many People Are Oblivious to How They Come Across to Counterparts and Colleagues
June 30, 2014 — New research shows that many people seen by others as under-assertive or over-assertive think they're appropriately assertive. The study also reveals that people seen as getting assertiveness right ... full story
Back Away, Please: Humans Tend to Fear Things Approaching, Even If Non-Threatening
June 23, 2014 — We still have negative feelings about things that approach us -- even if they objectively are not threatening, according to new research. Though we modern humans don't really consider such fear, it ... full story
New Research Proves Gender Bias Extraordinarily Prevalent in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Fields
June 23, 2014 — With everyone from the federal government to corporate America working to encourage more women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math fields, you would think the doors would ... full story
- It Takes More Than Practice to Excel
- Shift Work Linked to Heightened Diabetes Risk
- New Source of Information On Economic Activity
- 'Melbourne Shuffle' Secures Data in the Cloud
- Neuroeconomists Confirm Warren Buffett's Wisdom
- Putting a Price Tag On Climate Target
- Oil Palm Plantations Threaten Water Quality
- Are You Seen as a Jerk at Work?
- Humans Tend to Fear Things Approaching
- Huge Gender Bias in STEM Careers
Social Origins of Intelligence in the Brain
July 29, 2014 — By studying the injuries and aptitudes of Vietnam War veterans who suffered penetrating head wounds during the war, scientists are tackling -- and beginning to answer -- longstanding questions about ... full story
Community Service Programs That Include Reflection Found to Be More Beneficial to Youth
July 24, 2014 — Using meta-analysis to asses 49 studies from around the world, researchers have found that community service that includes reflection is more beneficial for adolescents than community service that ... full story
Stronger Early Reading Skills Predict Higher Intelligence Later
July 24, 2014 — A study of 1,890 identical twins has found that strong early reading skill might positively affect later intelligence. The twins, who are part of an ongoing longitudinal study in the United Kingdom, ... full story
Essays in English Yield Information About Other Languages
July 23, 2014 — Grammatical habits in written English reveal linguistic features of non-native speakers' languages, researchers report. The work could enable computers chewing through relatively accessible documents ... full story
Natural-Terrain Schoolyards Reduce Children's Stress, Says Study
July 22, 2014 — Playing in schoolyards that feature natural habitats and trees and not just asphalt and recreation equipment reduces children's stress and inattention, according to a ... full story
Try, Try Again? Study Says No: Trying Harder Makes It More Difficult to Learn Some Aspects of Language, Neuroscientists Find
July 21, 2014 — Neuroscientists find that trying harder makes it more difficult to learn some aspects of language. When it comes to learning languages, adults and children have different strengths. Adults excel at ... full story
Philosopher Uses Game Theory to Understand How Words, Actions Acquire Meaning
July 21, 2014 — Why does the word "dog" have meaning? If you say "dog" to a friend, why does your friend understand you? A philosopher aims to address these types of questions in his latest research, which focuses ... full story
Brain Waves Show Learning to Read Does Not End in 4th Grade, Contrary to Popular Theory
July 21, 2014 — Teachers-in-training have long been taught that fourth grade is when students stop learning to read and start reading to learn. But a new study tested the theory by analyzing brain waves and found ... full story
Large Twin Study Suggests That Language Delay Due More to Nature Than Nurture
July 21, 2014 — A study of 473 sets of twins followed since birth found twins have twice the rate of language delay as do single-born children. Moreover, identical twins have greater rates of language delay than do ... full story
Months Before Their First Words, Babies' Brains Rehearse Speech Mechanics
July 14, 2014 — New research in 7- and 11-month-old infants shows that speech sounds stimulate areas of the brain that coordinate and plan motor movements for speech. The study suggests that baby brains start laying ... full story
- Social Origins of Intelligence in the Brain
- Community Programs: Reflection Beneficial to ...
- Strong Early Reading Predict High IQ Later
- Essays in English: Info About Other Languages
- Natural-Terrain Schoolyards Reduce Kids' Stress
- Try, Try Again? Neuroscientists Say No
- Game Theory: How Words, Actions Acquire Meaning
- Learning to Read Does Not End in 4th Grade
- Language Delay Due More to Nature Than Nurture
- Before First Words, Babies' Brains Rehearse
