Today's Science News
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Featured Research
from universities, journals, and other organizations
Why Is the Sun's Atmosphere So Much Hotter Than Its Surface? Nanoflares
Aug. 1, 2014 — Scientists have recently gathered some of the strongest evidence to date to explain what makes the sun's outer atmosphere so much hotter than its surface. The new observations of the small-scale ... full story
Society Bloomed With Gentler Personalities and More Feminine Faces: Technology Boom 50,000 Years Ago Correlated With Less Testosterone
Aug. 1, 2014 — Scientists have shown that human skulls changed in ways that indicate a lowering of testosterone levels at around the same time that culture was blossoming. Heavy brows were out, rounder heads were ... full story
Scientists Name New Species of Cetacean: The Australian Humpback Dolphin
Aug. 1, 2014 — Scientists examining a taxonomically confused group of marine mammals have officially named a species new to science: the Australian humpback dolphin, Sousa ... full story
Companion Planets Can Increase Old Worlds' Chance at Life
Aug. 1, 2014 — Having a companion in old age is good for people -- and, it turns out, might extend the chance for life on certain Earth-sized planets in the cosmos as well. Planets cool as they age. Over time their ... full story
Study of Twins Discovers Gene Mutation Linked to Short Sleep Duration
July 31, 2014 — Researchers who studied 100 twin pairs have identified a gene mutation that may allow the carrier to function normally on less than six hours of sleep per night. The genetic variant also appears to ... full story
Chili Peppers for a Healthy Gut: Spicy Chemical May Inhibit Gut Tumors
Aug. 1, 2014 — Researchers report that dietary capsaicin – the active ingredient in chili peppers – produces chronic activation of a receptor on cells lining the intestines of mice, triggering a reaction that ... full story
'Active' Surfaces Control What's on Them: Scientists Develop Treated Surfaces That Can Actively Control How Fluids or Particles Move
Aug. 1, 2014 — Researchers have developed a new way of making surfaces that can actively control how fluids or particles move across them. The work might enable new kinds of biomedical or microfluidic devices, or ... full story
Scientists Find New Calorie-Burning Switch in Brown Fat
Aug. 1, 2014 — Biologists have identified a signaling pathway that switches on a powerful calorie-burning process in brown fat cells. The study sheds light on a process known as "brown fat thermogenesis," ... full story
Depression as a Risk Factor for Dementia: Link Is Independent of Dementia-Related Brain Changes
July 30, 2014 — A new study by neuropsychiatric researchers gives insight into the relationship between depression and dementia. The current study indicates that the association of depression with dementia is ... full story
Recent Use of Some Birth Control Pills May Increase Breast Cancer Risk, Study Suggests
Aug. 1, 2014 — Women who recently used birth control pills containing high-dose estrogen and a few other formulations had an increased risk for breast cancer, whereas women using some other formulations did not, ... full story
Wildfires and Other Burns Play Bigger Role in Climate Change
July 31, 2014 — Research demonstrates that it isn't just the carbon dioxide from biomass burning that's the problem. Black carbon and brown carbon maximize the thermal impacts of such fires. They ... 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
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
- Why Sun's Atmosphere Is Hotter Than Its Surface
- Acient Technology Linked to Less Testosterone
- New Cetacean: Australian Humpback Dolphin
- Companion Planets Up Old Worlds' Chance at Life
- Gene Mutation Linked to Short Sleep Duration
- Chili Peppers May Inhibit Gut Tumors
- 'Active' Surfaces Control What's On Them
- New Calorie-Burning Switch Found in Brown Fat
- Depression As a Risk Factor for Dementia
- Some Birth Control Pills: Breast Cancer Risk?
- Wildfires Play Bigger Role in Climate Change
- Mobility of Notable Intellectuals Mapped
- Nanofibers: New Self-Assembled Nanostructures
- C. Difficile Vaccine 100% Effective in Animals
- The 'Memory' of Starvation Is in Your Genes
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last updated on 2014-08-02 at 4:38 am EDT
One Reason Brain Tumors Are More Common in Men
Aug. 1, 2014 — New research helps explain why brain tumors occur more often in males and frequently are more harmful. For example, glioblastomas, the most common malignant brain tumors, are diagnosed twice as often ... full story
A Map for Eye Disease: Most Detailed Molecular Map of Eye Region Associated With Vision Loss
Aug. 1, 2014 — Vision specialists have created the most detailed molecular map of a region of the human eye associated with disease, including age-related macular degeneration. The map catalogs more than 4,000 ... full story
'Normal' Bacteria Vital for Keeping Intestinal Lining Intact
Aug. 1, 2014 — Scientists have found that bacteria that aid in digestion help keep the intestinal lining intact. The findings could yield new therapies for inflammatory bowel disease and a wide range of other ... full story
Small RNAs in Blood May Reveal Heart Injury
Aug. 1, 2014 — Like clues to a crime, specific molecules in the body can hint at exposure to toxins, infectious agents or even trauma, and so help doctors determine whether and how to treat a patient. In recent ... full story
New Mothers Still Excessively Sleepy After 4 Months, Study Shows
Aug. 1, 2014 — New mothers are being urged to be cautious about returning to work too quickly, after a study found one in two were still excessively sleepy four months after giving birth. "Sleep disruption strongly ... full story
Common Herbal-Based Anti-Malarial Drug Effective in Controlling Asthma, Study Suggests
Aug. 1, 2014 — Asthmatic patients may soon have a more effective way to control the condition, thanks to a new pharmacological ... full story
Keep Calm Moms: Maternal Stress During Pregnancy Linked to Asthma Risk in Offspring
Aug. 1, 2014 — During pregnancy, many women make a concerted effort to keep stress levels low -- and for good reason. Maternal stress has been linked to a number of negative outcomes for women and their infants, ... full story
Clues to Flu's Mechanisms Uncovered: Scientists Analyze How Influenza-Related Proteins Help Infect Cells
July 31, 2014 — Scientists calculate the transformation of a protein associated with influenza and discover details of intermediate states that may be treated with new ... full story
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
- One Reason Brain Tumors Are More Common in Men
- Map of Eye Region Associated With Disease
- 'Normal' Bacteria Keep Intestinal Lining Intact
- Small RNAs in Blood May Reveal Heart Injury
- New Mothers Still Sleepy After 4 Months: Study
- Anti-Malarial Drug Effective Against Asthma
- Stress During Pregnancy Linked to Asthma Risk
- Clues to Flu's Mechanisms Uncovered
- New Leads for Liver Disease Treatments
- Insular Cortex in Mouse Models of Autism
Preterm Children Do Not Have an Increased Risk for Dyscalculia, New Research Suggests
Aug. 1, 2014 — Preterm children do not suffer from dyscalculia more often than healthy full-term children, experts say, contrary to previous studies. Unlike most other studies, the researchers took the children’s ... full story
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
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
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
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
- No Higher Risk of Math Problems in Preterm Kids
- Physiology, Psychology of Political Differences
- Mapping How Brain Processes Sound
- Implicit Hierarchies for Race, Religion, Age?
- Effect of Loud Noises On Brain Revealed
- Monoamine Oxidase A: Postpartum Depression
- Kids and Hot Cars a Cause for Deadly Concern
- Benefits of E-Cigarettes Outweigh Harms?
- Fear of Losing Money: Investor Risk Tolerance
- Brain Wiring: Autism and Sensory Disorders
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
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
- Key to Aging Immune System: DNA Replication
- 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?
On-Chip Topological Light: First Measurements of Transmission and Delay
Aug. 1, 2014 — First came the concept of topological light. Then came images of topological light moving around a microchip. Now full measurements of the transmission of light around and through the ... full story
Heavy Metals and Hydroelectricity
Aug. 1, 2014 — Hydraulic engineering is increasingly relied on for hydroelectricity generation. However, redirecting stream flow can yield unintended consequences. Researchers from the U.S. and Peru have documented ... full story
Explaining the Fascinating Shape of Freezing Droplets
Aug. 1, 2014 — A water droplet deposited onto an icecold surface clearly has more effect than a drop in the ocean: the droplet will freeze in a peculiar way, forming a pointy tip. Scientists have found an ... full story
'Wetting' a Battery's Appetite for Renewable Energy Storage: New Liquid Alloy Electrode Improves Sodium-Beta Battery Performance
Aug. 1, 2014 — A new liquid metal alloy enables sodium-beta batteries to operate at lower temperatures, which could help the batteries store more renewable energy and strengthen the power ... full story
'Fracking' in the Dark: Biological Fallout of Shale-Gas Production Still Largely Unknown
Aug. 1, 2014 — Eight conservation biologists from various organizations and institutions found that shale-gas extraction in the United States has vastly outpaced scientists' understanding of the industry's ... full story
Light Pulses Control Graphene's Electrical Behavior
Aug. 1, 2014 — Graphene, an ultrathin form of carbon with exceptional electrical, optical, and mechanical properties, has become a focus of research on a variety of potential uses. Now researchers have found a way ... full story
Chemists Develop MRI Technique for Peeking Inside Battery-Like Devices
Aug. 1, 2014 — Chemists have developed a method for examining the inner workings of battery-like devices called supercapacitors, which can be charged up extremely quickly and can deliver high electrical ... full story
When Particles Fall Left and Right at the Same Time: Physicists Develop New Method to Verify Quantum Entanglement
Aug. 1, 2014 — It takes only a slight disturbance for a pencil standing on its tip to fall in one direction or another. In the quantum world it is possible in principle for particles of a system to fall both left ... full story
Superconductors: Physical Link to Strange Electronic Behavior
July 31, 2014 — Scientists have new clues this week about one of the baffling electronic properties of the iron-based high-temperature superconductor barium iron nickel arsenide. Scientists have the first evidence, ... full story
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
- On-Chip Topological Light: First Measurements
- Heavy Metals and Hydroelectricity
- Explaining the Shape of Freezing Droplets
- 'Wetting' Battery's Appetite for Energy Storage
- Biological Fallout of Shale-Gas Production?
- Light Controls Graphene's Electrical Behavior
- Peeking Inside Battery-Like Devices
- Quantum: Falling Left and Right at Same Time
- Physical Link to Strange Electronic Behavior
- Gas Tanks Under Gas Stations May Be Leaking
Rosetta's Comet: Imaging the Coma
Aug. 1, 2014 — Less than a week before Rosetta's rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, images obtained by OSIRIS, the spacecraft's onboard scientific imaging system, show clear signs of a coma ... full story
NASA Announces Mars 2020 Rover Payload to Explore the Red Planet as Never Before
Aug. 1, 2014 — The next rover NASA will send to Mars in 2020 will carry seven carefully-selected instruments to conduct unprecedented science and exploration technology investigations on the Red ... full story
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
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
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
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
- Rosetta's Comet: Imaging the Coma
- Mars Rover to Explore Red Planet as Never Before
- Asteroid Impacts Significantly Altered Earth
- Gamma-Rays Detected from Exploding Novae
- Farthest Lensing Galaxy: Early Universe Clues
- Are There Signs of Ancient Life On the Moon?
- Unknown Jets from Planetary Nebulae
- Early Tidal Forces Gave Moon Its Shape
- Double Star: Weird, Wild Planet-Forming Discs
- Magnetism of Earth, Mercury: Insides Differ
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
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
Innovative Scientists Update Old-School Pipetting With New-Age Technology
July 30, 2014 — A team researchers is bringing new levels of efficiency and accuracy to one of the most essential albeit tedious tasks of bench science: pipetting. Dubbed “iPipet,” the system converts an iPad or ... 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
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
- Formation of Fingers Explained by Math Theory
- New Ways of Separating Birdsong Sources
- Giving Emotions to Virtual Characters
- Old-School Pipetting With New-Age Technology
- Finding Quantum 'Lines of Desire'
- 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
Botany: Developmental Regulation of Important Plant Phloem Components Discovered
Aug. 1, 2014 — Researchers have combined traditional genetic approaches with 3-D reconstructions from scanning electron microscopy to discover and characterize genes regulating the development of plant sieve ... full story
USDA Report on Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Uniform Tools to Measure, Manage Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Aug. 1, 2014 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture today released a report that, for the first time, provides uniform scientific methods for quantifying the changes in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon ... full story
Symbiotic Survival in Marine Bivalve Mollusks
Aug. 1, 2014 — One of the most diverse families in the ocean today -- marine bivalve mollusks known as Lucinidae (or lucinids) -- originated more than 400 million years ago in the Silurian period, with adaptations ... full story
For Bats and Dolphins, Hearing Gene Prestin Adapted for Echolocation
Aug. 1, 2014 — A little over a decade ago, prestin was found to be a key gene responsible for hearing in mammals. A new study has shown that prestin has also independently evolved to play a critical role in the ... full story
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
'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
Selective Logging Takes Its Toll on Mammals, Amphibians
July 31, 2014 — The selective logging of trees in otherwise intact tropical forests can take a serious toll on the number of animal species living there. Mammals and amphibians are particularly sensitive to the ... 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
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
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
- Regulation of Important Plant Phloem Components
- New Report On Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Symbiotic Survival in Marine Bivalve Mollusks
- Bats, Dolphins: Echolocation and Hearing Gene
- Amber: Oldest Rove Beetle in Omaliini Tribe
- 'Rewired' Mice Show Signs of Longer Lives
- Selective Logging Hard On Mammals, Amphibians
- Shrinking Dinosaurs Evolved Into Flying Birds
- Study Tells Butterflies' Evolutionary History
- Gulf Oil Spill: Worst Toxins Remain: Study
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
- Lead in Teeth Can Tell a Body's Tale
- Brother of Hibiscus Alive and Well On Maui
- Boat Noise Impacts Survival of Sea Hares
- Classic Character Inspires New Ecological Model
- Pesticide DDT Linked to Metabolic Syndrome
- Antarctic Ice Sheet Rose as Carbon Dioxide Fell
- Deep-Sea Octopus Broods Eggs for Over 4 Years
- Saving Seeds Right Way Can Save World's Plants
- Correct Body Clock With Dimly Lit Environments
- Greener Way to Make Colorful Plastics
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
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
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
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
- Did Iceman Have Narrowing of the Arteries?
- Scientists Reproduce Evolutionary Changes
- Lost World Found in 20-Million-Year-Old Amber
- 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
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
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
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
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
- Caution Against Exploitation of Deep Ocean
- 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
- Media Can Make a Tough Day Worse
- Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Impact On Coral
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
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
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
- Greener Power for Off–Grid Homes and Businesses
- Google Searches: Key to Future Market Crashes?
- 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?
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
