ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Concussion secrets unveiled in mice and people
• Flipping a gene switch reactivates fetal hemoglobin, may reverse sickle cell disease
• Electrical control of single atom magnets
• Surprising diversity in aging revealed in nature
• Scientists discover quick recipe for producing hydrogen
• Gene promotes one in a hundred of tumors: Gene discovered to play a part in one per cent of all cancers
• Possibility of cloning quantum information from the past
• Quality of biodiversity, not just quantity, is key: Right mix of species is needed for conservation
• Scientists probe abandoned mine for clues about permanent carbon dioxide sequestration
• Gene expression changes with meditation
• International gene therapy trial for 'bubble boy' disease shows promising early results
• Vast freshwater reserves found beneath the oceans
• Tiny drops of hot quark soup -- how small can they be?
• Quantum effects help cells capture light, but the details are obscure
• Coal yields plenty of graphene quantum dots
• The heat is on...or off: Having the sense to cut office energy bills
• A virtual factory you can feel
• Tougher dies for automotive manufacturing
• Hydropower set to balance wind power

Concussion secrets unveiled in mice and people Posted: 08 Dec 2013 10:36 AM PST There is more than meets the eye following even a mild traumatic brain injury. While the brain may appear to be intact, new findings suggest that the brain's protective coverings may feel the brunt of the impact.

Flipping a gene switch reactivates fetal hemoglobin, may reverse sickle cell disease Posted: 08 Dec 2013 10:36 AM PST Hematology researchers have manipulated key biological events in adult blood cells to produce a form of hemoglobin normally absent after the newborn period. Because fetal hemoglobin is unaffected by the genetic defect in sickle cell disease, these cell culture findings may open the door to a new therapy for the debilitating blood disorder.

Electrical control of single atom magnets Posted: 08 Dec 2013 10:36 AM PST The energy needed to change the magnetic orientation of a single atom -- which determines its magnetic stability and therefore its usefulness in a variety of future device applications -- can be modified by varying the atom's electrical coupling to nearby metals.

Surprising diversity in aging revealed in nature Posted: 08 Dec 2013 10:36 AM PST In our youth we are strong and healthy and then we weaken and die -- that's probably how most would describe what aging is all about. But, in nature, the phenomenon of aging shows an unexpected diversity of patterns and is altogether rather strange, conclude researchers.

Scientists discover quick recipe for producing hydrogen Posted: 08 Dec 2013 10:36 AM PST Scientists have discovered a quick-cook recipe for copious volumes of hydrogen, a breakthrough suggesting a better way of producing the fuel that propels rockets and energizes battery-like fuel cells. It could eventually even help meet key world energy needs -- without carbon emissions contributing to climate change.

Gene promotes one in a hundred of tumors: Gene discovered to play a part in one per cent of all cancers Posted: 08 Dec 2013 10:35 AM PST Researchers have identified a gene that drives the development of tumors in over one per cent of all cancer patients. This is the first time that the gene CUX1 has been broadly linked to cancer development.

Possibility of cloning quantum information from the past Posted: 08 Dec 2013 06:06 AM PST Popular television shows such as "Doctor Who" have brought the idea of time travel into the vernacular of popular culture. But problem of time travel is even more complicated than one might think. Scientists have now shown that it would theoretically be possible for time travelers to copy quantum data from the past.

Quality of biodiversity, not just quantity, is key: Right mix of species is needed for conservation Posted: 08 Dec 2013 06:06 AM PST A new study of biodiversity loss in a salt marsh finds that it's not just the total number of species preserved that matters; it's the number of key species. If humans want to reap the benefits of the full range of functions that salt marshes and other coastal ecosystems provide, we need to preserve the right mix of species.

Scientists probe abandoned mine for clues about permanent carbon dioxide sequestration Posted: 08 Dec 2013 06:06 AM PST An abandoned mineral mine is providing geoscientists new insights on how to permanently entomb greenhouse gas emissions in the Earth.

Gene expression changes with meditation Posted: 08 Dec 2013 06:03 AM PST With evidence growing that meditation can have beneficial health effects, scientists have sought to understand how these practices physically affect the body. A new study reports the first evidence of specific molecular changes in the body following a period of mindfulness meditation.

International gene therapy trial for 'bubble boy' disease shows promising early results Posted: 08 Dec 2013 06:03 AM PST Researchers reported promising outcomes data for the first group of boys with X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome, a fatal genetic immunodeficiency also known as "bubble boy" disease, who were treated as part of an international clinical study of a new form of gene therapy. Its delivery mechanism was designed to prevent the leukemia that arose a decade ago in a similar trial in Europe.

Vast freshwater reserves found beneath the oceans Posted: 08 Dec 2013 05:53 AM PST Scientists have discovered huge reserves of freshwater beneath the oceans kilometers out to sea, providing new opportunities to stave off a looming global water crisis. A new study reveals that an estimated half a million cubic kilometers of low-salinity water are buried beneath the seabed on continental shelves around the world.

Tiny drops of hot quark soup -- how small can they be? Posted: 06 Dec 2013 01:30 PM PST New analyses of deuteron-gold collisions indicate that collisions between gold ions and much smaller deuterons, designed as control experiments, may be serving up miniscule drops of hot quark-gluon plasma.

Quantum effects help cells capture light, but the details are obscure Posted: 06 Dec 2013 09:44 AM PST By studying the behavior of light-gathering molecules used by plants, algae, and some bacteria in photosynthesis, researchers have found evidence that quantum coherence eases ultrafast energy transfers among the molecules.

Coal yields plenty of graphene quantum dots Posted: 06 Dec 2013 08:17 AM PST Coal is a cost-effective source of abundant graphene quantum dots for photovoltaic, medical, electronic and sensing applications.

The heat is on...or off: Having the sense to cut office energy bills Posted: 06 Dec 2013 07:16 AM PST Office buildings have an enormous carbon footprint, but often energy is being wasted maintaining empty rooms and spaces at a comfortable temperature. New research shows how the ubiquity of smart phones connected to the office network could be used to monitor occupancy and reduce heating or air conditioning for unused spaces.

A virtual factory you can feel Posted: 06 Dec 2013 06:14 AM PST Industrial processes have been mechanized, electrified and digitized. In the next step they become intelligent. However, the lines between virtual and real worlds become only slowly blurred. Researchers have now developed a miniature factory.

Tougher dies for automotive manufacturing Posted: 06 Dec 2013 06:14 AM PST Forming dies are put under immense strain. Yet by using a laser to alloy their surfaces with filler material you can make them more robust and resistant to wear. This process increases the service life of dies used in automotive manufacturing by 150 percent.

Hydropower set to balance wind power Posted: 06 Dec 2013 06:14 AM PST While Europe invests in wind energy, Norwegian hydropower offers the key to stable electricity supplies. The key driver of the development of a northern European offshore power grid is the massive investment being made in wind power in the Baltic and in and around the North Sea. The aim here is to reduce CO2 emissions by as much as between 80 and 95 per cent by 2050.

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