ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Cultural diversification also drives human evolution
• New model to design better flu shots proposed
• Sea cucumbers: Dissolving coral reefs?
• More powerful supercomputers? New device could bring optical information processing
• Chemists solve an 84-year-old theory on how molecules move energy after light absorption
• New technique makes it easier to etch semiconductors
• 'Nanoantennas' show promise in optical innovations
• Computer assisted design (CAD) for RNA
• How bacteria fight fluoride in toothpaste and in nature
• Chinese fossils shed light on evolutionary origin of animals from single-cell ancestors
• Reclaiming land after a forest fire
• Built-in 'self-destruct timer' causes ultimate death of messenger RNA in cells
• Long intervening non-coding RNAs play pivotal roles in brain development
• Transcriptional elongation control takes on new dimensions as researchers find gene class-specific elongation factors
• Jaguar photo shows conservation success in Bolivia
• What makes anesthetics work
• Ocean acidification: Some organisms already experiencing ocean acidification levels not predicted to be reached until 2100
• First ever direct measurement of Earth's rotation
• Possible cure for leukemia found in fish oil
• Severe congenital disorder successfully treated in a mouse model for the first time
• High genetic diversity in an ancient Hawaiian clone
• New particle at Large Hadron Collider discovered by ATLAS Experiment
• Heritage site under attack by flowers
• Belize protected area boosting predatory fish populations
• Brain size may predict risk for early Alzheimer's disease
• Myths and truths of obesity and pregnancy
• Traditional social networks fueled Twitter's spread
• Balancing the womb: New research hopes to explain premature births and failed inductions of labour
• When nerve cells stop speaking: Neuroscientists decode important mechanism of nerve cell communication
• New material cools under pressure
• Advance made in light slowing techniques
• Complex polymer rings with breathtaking nanoscale architecture revealed
• Computer vision research: Do you see what I see?
• Severe sepsis can lead to impairment of immune system, study suggests

Cultural diversification also drives human evolution Posted: 22 Dec 2011 01:12 PM PST Changes in social structure and cultural practices can also contribute to human evolution, according to a new study.

New model to design better flu shots proposed Posted: 22 Dec 2011 12:20 PM PST The flu shot, typically the first line of defense against seasonal influenza, could better treat the US population, thanks to new research.

Sea cucumbers: Dissolving coral reefs? Posted: 22 Dec 2011 12:20 PM PST Coral reefs are extremely diverse ecosystems that support enormous biodiversity. But they are at risk. Carbon dioxide emissions are acidifying the ocean, threatening reefs and other marine organisms. New research analyzed the role of sea cucumbers in portions of the Great Barrier Reef and determined that their dietary process of dissolving calcium carbonate (CaCO3) from the surrounding reef accounts for about half of at the total nighttime dissolution for the reef.

More powerful supercomputers? New device could bring optical information processing Posted: 22 Dec 2011 12:20 PM PST Researchers have created a new type of optical device small enough to fit millions on a computer chip that could lead to faster, more powerful information processing and supercomputers.

Chemists solve an 84-year-old theory on how molecules move energy after light absorption Posted: 22 Dec 2011 12:20 PM PST The same principle that causes figure skaters to spin faster as they draw their arms into their bodies has now been used by researchers to understand how molecules move energy around following the absorption of light. Scientists now demonstrate for the first time the effect is real and also suggests how scientists could use it to control and predict chemical reaction pathways in general.

New technique makes it easier to etch semiconductors Posted: 22 Dec 2011 12:20 PM PST Creating semiconductor structures for high-end optoelectronic devices just got easier, thanks to new research. Scientists developed a method to chemically etch patterned arrays in the semiconductor gallium arsenide, used in solar cells, lasers and other optoelectronic devices. Unlike other wet methods, metal-assisted chemical etching works in one direction, from the top down, without damaging the surface like dry etching does.

'Nanoantennas' show promise in optical innovations Posted: 22 Dec 2011 11:24 AM PST Researchers have shown how arrays of tiny "plasmonic nanoantennas" are able to precisely manipulate light in new ways that could make possible a range of optical innovations such as more powerful microscopes, telecommunications and computers.

Computer assisted design (CAD) for RNA Posted: 22 Dec 2011 11:24 AM PST Researchers have developed computer assisted design-type tools for engineering RNA components to control genetic expression in microbes. This holds enormous potential for microbial-based production of advanced biofuels, biodegradable plastics, therapeutic drugs and a host of other goods now derived from petrochemicals.

How bacteria fight fluoride in toothpaste and in nature Posted: 22 Dec 2011 11:24 AM PST Researchers have uncovered the molecular tricks used by bacteria to fight the effects of fluoride, which is commonly used in toothpaste and mouthwash to combat tooth decay.

Chinese fossils shed light on evolutionary origin of animals from single-cell ancestors Posted: 22 Dec 2011 11:24 AM PST Evidence of the single-celled ancestors of animals, dating from the interval in the Earth's history just before multicellular animals appeared, has been discovered in 570 million-year-old rocks from South China.

Reclaiming land after a forest fire Posted: 22 Dec 2011 10:34 AM PST Researchers treated burnt soil with an organic polymer used in agriculture. Applying granules of the non-toxic polymer cut soil erosion by half in both laboratory and field experiments.

Built-in 'self-destruct timer' causes ultimate death of messenger RNA in cells Posted: 22 Dec 2011 10:34 AM PST Researchers have discovered the first known mechanism by which cells control the survival of messenger RNA (mRNA) -- arguably biology's most important molecule. The findings pertain to mRNAs that help regulate cell division and could therefore have implications for reversing cancer's out-of-control cell division.

Long intervening non-coding RNAs play pivotal roles in brain development Posted: 22 Dec 2011 10:33 AM PST Scientists have identified conserved, long intervening non-coding RNAs that play key roles during brain development in zebrafish, and went on to show that the human versions of these RNAs can substitute for the zebrafish lincRNAs. Until now, lincRNAs have been studied primarily in cell lines rather than at the organismal level, which has precluded research into how lincRNAs affect growth and development.

Transcriptional elongation control takes on new dimensions as researchers find gene class-specific elongation factors Posted: 22 Dec 2011 10:33 AM PST Life is complicated enough, so you can forgive the pioneers of DNA biology for glossing over transcriptional elongation control by RNA polymerase II, the quick and seemingly bulletproof penultimate step in the process that copies the information encoded in our DNA into protein-making instructions carried by messenger RNA. Researchers now not only add a new layer, but a whole new dimension to transcriptional elongation control with evidence that for each class of genes transcribed by RNA polymerase II (Pol II), there exists a specific class of elongation factors.

Jaguar photo shows conservation success in Bolivia Posted: 22 Dec 2011 07:55 AM PST A dramatic photo of a female jaguar and her two cubs near the Isoso Station of the Santa Cruz-Puerto Suarez Gas Pipeline in Kaa Iya National Park in Bolivia has just been released. The adult jaguar, nicknamed Kaaiyana, has been seen with her cubs in the area for over a month; though conservationists have confirmed she has been a resident in the vicinity for at least six years.

What makes anesthetics work Posted: 22 Dec 2011 07:31 AM PST Researchers have uncovered what cells respond to anesthesia in an organism known as the C. elegans, according to a new study.

Ocean acidification: Some organisms already experiencing ocean acidification levels not predicted to be reached until 2100 Posted: 22 Dec 2011 07:31 AM PST Ocean acidification research is a relatively new study topic as scientists have only appreciated the potential extent of acidification within the last decade. As greenhouse gas emissions have accelerated in the past century, the oceans have taken up about a third of the carbon dioxide produced by human activities. That excess beyond natural levels increases amounts of carbonic acid in seawater. New research shows that some organisms are already experiencing ocean acidification levels not predicted to be reached until 2100.

First ever direct measurement of Earth's rotation Posted: 22 Dec 2011 07:31 AM PST Scientists have just plotted changes in Earth's axis through laboratory measurements. To do this, they constructed the world's most stable ring laser. Previously, scientists were only able to track shifts in the axis indirectly by monitoring fixed objects in space. Capturing these shifts is crucial for navigation systems.

Possible cure for leukemia found in fish oil Posted: 22 Dec 2011 07:31 AM PST A compound produced from fish oil that appears to target leukemia stem cells could lead to a cure for the disease, according to researchers.

Severe congenital disorder successfully treated in a mouse model for the first time Posted: 22 Dec 2011 07:30 AM PST Using a mouse model, researchers have for the first time successfully treated a severe congenital disorder in which sugar metabolism is disturbed. Scientists demonstrated that if female mice are given mannose with their drinking water prior to mating and during pregnancy, their offspring will develop normally even if they carry the genetic mutation for the congenital disorder.

High genetic diversity in an ancient Hawaiian clone Posted: 22 Dec 2011 07:29 AM PST The entire Hawaiian population of the peat moss Sphagnum palustre appears to be a clone that has been in existence for some 50,000 years, researchers have discovered.

New particle at Large Hadron Collider discovered by ATLAS Experiment Posted: 22 Dec 2011 07:29 AM PST Researchers have made the first clear observation of a new particle at the Large Hadron Collider. The particle, the chi b(3P), is a new way of combining a beauty quark and its antiquark so that they bind together. Like the more famous Higgs particle, the chi b(3P) is a boson. However, whereas the Higgs is not made up of smaller particles, the chi b(3P) combines two very heavy objects via the same 'strong force' which holds the atomic nucleus together.

Heritage site under attack by flowers Posted: 22 Dec 2011 07:29 AM PST The Belgrade fortress is not only threatened by the effects of coal burning, as was assumed until now, but also by flower beds. The deterioration of the fortress walls could be partially caused by the large quantities of potassium present in fertilizers used by gardeners and could be responsible for the formation of black crusts on the ramparts.

Belize protected area boosting predatory fish populations Posted: 21 Dec 2011 06:12 PM PST A 14-year study in an atoll reef lagoon in Glover's Reef, Belize has found that fishing closures there produce encouraging increases in populations of predatory fish species. However, such closures have resulted in only minimal increases in herbivorous fish, which feed on the algae that smother corals and inhibit reef recovery.

Brain size may predict risk for early Alzheimer's disease Posted: 21 Dec 2011 06:12 PM PST New research suggests that, in people who don't currently have memory problems, those with smaller regions of the brain's cortex may be more likely to develop symptoms consistent with very early Alzheimer's disease.

Myths and truths of obesity and pregnancy Posted: 21 Dec 2011 07:58 AM PST Ironically, despite excessive caloric intake, many obese women are deficient in vitamins vital to a healthy pregnancy. This and other startling statistics abound when obesity and pregnancy collide. Together, they present a unique set of challenges that women and their doctors must tackle in order to achieve the best possible outcome for mom and baby.

Traditional social networks fueled Twitter's spread Posted: 21 Dec 2011 07:58 AM PST Researchers who studied the growth of the newly hatched Twitter from 2006 to 2009 say the site's growth in the United States actually relied primarily on media attention and traditional social networks based on geographic proximity and socioeconomic similarity. In other words, at least during those early years, birds of a feather flocked -- and tweeted -- together.

Balancing the womb: New research hopes to explain premature births and failed inductions of labour Posted: 21 Dec 2011 07:57 AM PST New research hopes to explain premature births and failed inductions of labor.

When nerve cells stop speaking: Neuroscientists decode important mechanism of nerve cell communication Posted: 21 Dec 2011 07:56 AM PST By researching fruit flies, neuroscientists were able to gain a better understanding of a meaningful mechanism of neuronal communication. They demonstrated the importance of a specific protein for signal transmission between nerve cells. This is of high significance as certain people with autism - a functional development disturbances of the brain - suffer from genetic defects in this protein. Therefore the findings could improve the possibility of treating this disease more effectively.

New material cools under pressure Posted: 21 Dec 2011 07:56 AM PST Researchers have identified a new material that exhibits an inverse barocaloric effect at room temperature, which means that it cools when pressure is applied, unlike most other materials.

Advance made in light slowing techniques Posted: 21 Dec 2011 07:56 AM PST Scientists have made a significant advance in the field of light-slowing techniques applied to microwave photonics, which open the door to integrating multiple functionalities into optical chips in the short and medium term.

Complex polymer rings with breathtaking nanoscale architecture revealed Posted: 21 Dec 2011 07:56 AM PST Scientists have uncovered how nature minimises energy costs in rings of liquids with an internal nanostructure made of two chemically discordant polymers joined with strong bonds, or di-blocks, deposited on a silicon surface, in a new article.

Computer vision research: Do you see what I see? Posted: 21 Dec 2011 06:19 AM PST A question confronting neuroscientists and computer vision researchers alike is how objects can be identified by simply "looking" at an image. But teaching a computer to "know" what it's looking at is far harder. Scientists have now modeled human brain structure to develop better programming approaches for computer object identification.

Severe sepsis can lead to impairment of immune system, study suggests Posted: 20 Dec 2011 02:26 PM PST An analysis of lung and spleen tissue from patients who died of sepsis revealed certain biochemical, cellular and histological findings that were consistent with immunosuppression, according to a new study.

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