ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Around the world in four days: NASA tracks Chelyabinsk meteor plume
• How neurons get wired
• Warming climate pushes plants up the mountain
• Researchers use nanoparticles to fight cancer
• Brain scans could predict response to antipsychotic medication
• Changing climate may have driven collapse of civilizations in Late Bronze Age
• Forensic familial search methods carry risk of certain false matches
• Ostrich necks reveal sauropod movements, food habits
• Facebook use predicts declines in happiness, new study finds
• Potent mechanism helps viruses shut down body's defense system against infection
• Children exposed to lead three times more likely to be suspended from school
• Researchers debunk myth of 'right-brained' and 'left-brained' personality traits
• Study debunks controversial multiple sclerosis theory
• How will crops fare under climate change? Depends on how you ask
• Binding together repelling atoms
• Beetles in rubber boots: Scientists study ladybugs' feet
• Dwarf galaxy caught ramming into a large spiral
• Preschoolers inability to estimate quantity relates to later math difficulty
• Raising the IQ of smart windows: Embedded nanocrystals provide selective control over visible light and heat-producing near-infrared light
• Teleported by electronic circuit: Physicists 'beam' information
• Cancer's origins revealed: Genetic imprints and signatures left by DNA-damaging processes that lead to cancer identified
• A magnetar at the heart of our Milky Way
• Extreme weather events fuel climate change
• Targeting aggressive prostate cancer: How non-coding RNAs fuel cancer growth
• Earth orbit changes key to Antarctic warming that ended last ice age
• Children of obese mothers at greater risk of early heart death as adults
• A genetic answer to the Alzheimer's riddle?
• Watermelon juice relieves post-exercise muscle soreness
• Successful deployment of an autonomous deep-sea explorer to search for new forms of microbial life
• Visualized heartbeat can trigger 'out-of-body experience'
• Two left feet? Study looks to demystify why we lose our balance
• Research shows precisely which strategies help players win team-oriented video games
• How bacteria found in mouth may cause colorectal cancer
• Plastic solar cells' new design promises bright future
• Digital streak camera captures full-color photographs of high-speed objects
• Advancing resistive memory to improve portable electronics
• First documented report of swimming and diving in apes
• Burmese long-tailed macaques' use of stone tools is being threatened by human activity in Thailand
• Low-grade prostate cancers may not become aggressive with time -- adds support for 'watch and wait' approach
• Newly identifed molecules necessary for memory formation

Around the world in four days: NASA tracks Chelyabinsk meteor plume Posted: 14 Aug 2013 04:22 PM PDT Atmospheric physicist Nick Gorkavyi missed witnessing an event of the century last winter when a meteor exploded over his hometown of Chelyabinsk, Russia. From Greenbelt, Md., however, NASA's Gorkavyi and colleagues witnessed a never-before-seen view of the atmospheric aftermath of the explosion.

How neurons get wired Posted: 14 Aug 2013 04:22 PM PDT Scientists have discovered an unknown mechanism that establishes polarity in developing nerve cells. Understanding how nerve cells make connections is an important step in developing cures for nerve damage resulting from spinal cord injuries or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Warming climate pushes plants up the mountain Posted: 14 Aug 2013 04:22 PM PDT In a rare opportunity to directly compare plant communities in the same area now with a survey taken 50 years ago, biologists have provided the first on-the-ground evidence that Southwestern plants are being pushed to higher elevations by an increasingly warmer and drier climate.

Researchers use nanoparticles to fight cancer Posted: 14 Aug 2013 04:22 PM PDT Researchers are developing a new treatment technique that uses nanoparticles to reprogram immune cells so they are able to recognize and attack cancer.

Brain scans could predict response to antipsychotic medication Posted: 14 Aug 2013 04:19 PM PDT Researchers have identified neuroimaging markers in the brain which could help predict whether people with psychosis respond to antipsychotic medications or not.

Changing climate may have driven collapse of civilizations in Late Bronze Age Posted: 14 Aug 2013 04:19 PM PDT Climate change may have driven the collapse of once-flourishing Eastern Mediterranean civilizations towards the end of the 13th century BC, according to new research.

Forensic familial search methods carry risk of certain false matches Posted: 14 Aug 2013 04:19 PM PDT Forensic DNA-based familial search methods may mistakenly identify individuals in a database as siblings or parents of an unknown perpetrator, when in fact they are distant relatives, according to new research.

Ostrich necks reveal sauropod movements, food habits Posted: 14 Aug 2013 04:19 PM PDT A new analysis of ostriches reveals that a computer model of long-necked sauropods used to simulate the dinosaurs' movements, featured in BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs and the focus of an installation at the American Museum of Natural History, New York, does not correctly reconstruct how flexible their necks were.

Facebook use predicts declines in happiness, new study finds Posted: 14 Aug 2013 04:19 PM PDT Facebook helps people feel connected, but it doesn't necessarily make them happier, a new study shows.

Potent mechanism helps viruses shut down body's defense system against infection Posted: 14 Aug 2013 04:13 PM PDT Researchers have discovered a powerful mechanism by which viruses such as influenza, West Nile and Dengue evade the body's immune response and infect humans with these potentially deadly diseases. The findings may provide scientists with an attractive target for novel antiviral therapies.

Children exposed to lead three times more likely to be suspended from school Posted: 14 Aug 2013 04:05 PM PDT Children who are exposed to lead are nearly three times more likely to be suspended from school by the 4th grade than children who are not exposed, according to a new study.

Researchers debunk myth of 'right-brained' and 'left-brained' personality traits Posted: 14 Aug 2013 04:05 PM PDT Neuroscientists now assert that there is no evidence within brain imaging that indicates some people are right-brained or left-brained. For years in popular culture, the terms left-brained and right-brained have come to refer to personality types, with an assumption that some people use the right side of their brain more, while some use the left side more. Researchers have debunked that myth through identifying specific networks in the left and right brain that process lateralized functions.

Study debunks controversial multiple sclerosis theory Posted: 14 Aug 2013 04:05 PM PDT New research found no evidence of abnormalities in the internal jugular or vertebral veins or in the deep cerebral veins of any of 100 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with 100 people who had no history of any neurological condition.

How will crops fare under climate change? Depends on how you ask Posted: 14 Aug 2013 11:48 AM PDT The damage scientists expect climate change to do to crop yields can differ greatly depending on which type of model was used to make those projections, according to new research.

Binding together repelling atoms Posted: 14 Aug 2013 11:47 AM PDT Basic chemistry tells us that a bond between atoms can form if it is energetically more favorable for the atoms to stick together than staying apart. This fundamentally requires an attractive force between the atoms. However, new theoretical predictions show that the combination of a repelling force and controlled noise from an environment can also have the surprising effect of leading to a bound state, although one with quite exotic properties.

Beetles in rubber boots: Scientists study ladybugs' feet Posted: 14 Aug 2013 11:47 AM PDT During their evolution, insects have developed various unique features to survive in their environment. The knowledge of the working principles of insects' microstructures holds great potential for the development of new materials, which could be of use to humans. With this idea scientists have investigated how insects manage to efficiently cling to diverse surfaces.

Dwarf galaxy caught ramming into a large spiral Posted: 14 Aug 2013 11:47 AM PDT Astronomers have observed a massive cloud of multimillion-degree gas in a galaxy about 60 million light years from Earth. The hot gas cloud is likely caused by a collision between a dwarf galaxy and a much larger galaxy called NGC 1232.

Preschoolers inability to estimate quantity relates to later math difficulty Posted: 14 Aug 2013 10:25 AM PDT Preschool children who showed less ability to estimate the number of objects in a group were 2.4 times more likely to have a later mathematical learning disability than other young people, according to psychologists.

Raising the IQ of smart windows: Embedded nanocrystals provide selective control over visible light and heat-producing near-infrared light Posted: 14 Aug 2013 10:24 AM PDT Researchers have designed a new material to make smart windows even smarter. The material is a thin coating of nanocrystals embedded in glass that can dynamically modify sunlight as it passes through a window. Unlike existing technologies, the coating provides selective control over visible light and heat-producing near-infrared light, so windows can maximize both energy savings and occupant comfort in a wide range of climates.

Teleported by electronic circuit: Physicists 'beam' information Posted: 14 Aug 2013 10:24 AM PDT Researchers cannot "beam" humans or objects through space yet, a feat sometimes alluded to in science fiction movies. They managed, however, to teleport information from A to B -- for the first time in an electronic circuit.

Cancer's origins revealed: Genetic imprints and signatures left by DNA-damaging processes that lead to cancer identified Posted: 14 Aug 2013 10:24 AM PDT Scientists have provided the first comprehensive genomic map of mutational processes that drive tumour development. Together, these mutational processes explain the majority of mutations found in 30 of the most common cancer types.

A magnetar at the heart of our Milky Way Posted: 14 Aug 2013 10:23 AM PDT Astronomers have discovered a magnetar at the centre of our Milky Way. This pulsar has an extremely strong magnetic field and enables researchers to investigate the direct vicinity of the black hole at the heart of the galaxy. Scientists have, for the first time, measured the strength of the magnetic field around this central source and were able to show that the latter is fed by magnetic fields. These control the inflow of mass into the black hole, also explaining the x-ray emissions of this gravity trap.

Extreme weather events fuel climate change Posted: 14 Aug 2013 10:23 AM PDT In 2003, Central and Southern Europe sweltered in a heatwave that set alarm bells ringing for researchers. It was one of the first large-scale extreme weather events which scientists were able to use to document in detail how heat and drought affected the carbon cycle (the exchange of carbon dioxide between the terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere). Measurements indicated that the extreme weather events had a much greater impact on the carbon balance than had previously been assumed. It is possible that droughts, heat waves and storms weaken the buffer effect exerted by terrestrial ecosystems on the climate system. In the past 50 years, plants and the soil have absorbed up to 30% of the carbon dioxide that humans have set free, primarily from fossil fuels.

Targeting aggressive prostate cancer: How non-coding RNAs fuel cancer growth Posted: 14 Aug 2013 10:22 AM PDT Researchers have identified a key mechanism behind aggressive prostate cancer that spurs tumor growth and metastasis and makes cancers resistant to treatment.

Earth orbit changes key to Antarctic warming that ended last ice age Posted: 14 Aug 2013 10:22 AM PDT New research from an ice core taken from West Antarctica shows that the warming that ended the last ice age in Antarctica began at least two, and perhaps four, millennia earlier than previously thought.

Children of obese mothers at greater risk of early heart death as adults Posted: 14 Aug 2013 09:50 AM PDT Children of obese and overweight women have a higher risk of early cardiovascular death as adults, finds a new study.

A genetic answer to the Alzheimer's riddle? Posted: 14 Aug 2013 09:50 AM PDT What if we could pinpoint a hereditary cause for Alzheimer's, and intervene to reduce the risk of the disease? We may be closer to that goal, thanks to new work in Alzheimer's genetics.

Watermelon juice relieves post-exercise muscle soreness Posted: 14 Aug 2013 09:49 AM PDT Watermelon juice's reputation among athletes is getting scientific support in a new study, which found that juice from the summer favorite fruit can relieve post-exercise muscle soreness. The report attributes watermelon's effects to the amino acid L-citrulline.

Successful deployment of an autonomous deep-sea explorer to search for new forms of microbial life Posted: 14 Aug 2013 09:49 AM PDT Scientists are reporting "a significant step forward" in proving the feasibility of launching fleets of autonomous robots that search Earth's deep oceans for exotic new life forms. Their description of successful deployment of the trailblazer for such a project -- an autonomous seafloor lander equipped with a mini-laboratory the size of a kitchen trash can that is able to detect minute traces of DNA in the deep oceans.

Visualized heartbeat can trigger 'out-of-body experience' Posted: 14 Aug 2013 09:48 AM PDT A visual projection of human heartbeats can be used to generate an "out-of-body experience," according to new research. The findings could inform new kinds of treatment for people with self-perception disorders, including anorexia.

Two left feet? Study looks to demystify why we lose our balance Posted: 14 Aug 2013 09:47 AM PDT It's always in front of a million people and feels like eternity. You're strolling along when suddenly you've stumbled -- the brain realizes you're falling, but your muscles aren't doing anything to stop it.

Research shows precisely which strategies help players win team-oriented video games Posted: 14 Aug 2013 09:47 AM PDT Computer science researchers have developed a technique to determine which strategies give players an edge at winning in multi-player (action) real-time strategy games, such as Defense of the Ancients, Warcraft III and Starcraft II. The technique offers extremely precise information about how a player's actions affect a team's chances of winning, and could be used to develop technology for use by players and developers to improve gameplay experiences.

How bacteria found in mouth may cause colorectal cancer Posted: 14 Aug 2013 09:43 AM PDT Gut microbes have recently been linked to colorectal cancer, but it has not been clear whether and how they might cause tumors to form in the first place. Two studies reveal how gut microbes known as fusobacteria, which are found in the mouth, stimulate bad immune responses and turn on cancer growth genes to generate colorectal tumors. The findings could lead to more effective strategies for the early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of colorectal cancer.

Plastic solar cells' new design promises bright future Posted: 14 Aug 2013 07:14 AM PDT Harvesting energy directly from sunlight to generate electricity using photovoltaic technologies is a very promising method for producing electricity in an environmentally benign fashion. Polymer solar cells offer unique attractions, but the challenge has been improving their power-conversion efficiency. Now a research team reports the design and synthesis of new polymer semiconductors and reports polymer solar cells with fill factors of 80 percent -- a first. This number is close to that of silicon solar cells.

Digital streak camera captures full-color photographs of high-speed objects Posted: 14 Aug 2013 07:14 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new design for a digital streak camera that captures full-color images of projectiles traveling up to 10 times the speed of sound. This system was designed to replace the outdated film-based streak cameras that are still in use at high-speed test tracks.

Advancing resistive memory to improve portable electronics Posted: 14 Aug 2013 07:14 AM PDT Scientists have developed a novel way to build what many see as the next generation memory storage devices for portable electronic devices including smart phones, tablets, laptops and digital cameras.

First documented report of swimming and diving in apes Posted: 14 Aug 2013 07:02 AM PDT Two researchers have provided the first video-based observation of swimming and diving apes. Instead of the usual dog-paddle stroke used by most terrestrial mammals, these animals use a kind of breaststroke. The swimming strokes peculiar to humans and apes might be the result of an earlier adaptation to an arboreal life.

Burmese long-tailed macaques' use of stone tools is being threatened by human activity in Thailand Posted: 14 Aug 2013 07:01 AM PDT The Burmese long-tailed macaques' use of stone tools is being threatened by human activity in Thailand.

Low-grade prostate cancers may not become aggressive with time -- adds support for 'watch and wait' approach Posted: 14 Aug 2013 06:56 AM PDT Prostate cancer aggressiveness may be established when the tumor is formed and not alter with time, according to a new study published.

Newly identifed molecules necessary for memory formation Posted: 14 Aug 2013 06:56 AM PDT Researchers have uncovered a cellular mechanism for memory and learning that provides one avenue for how these take place.

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