ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Neuroscientists identify how the brain works to select what we (want to) see
• Cocaine and the teen brain: New insights into addiction
• Superbugs from space offer new source of power
• Caught in the act: Scientists discover microbes speciating
• Stronger intestinal barrier may prevent cancer in the rest of the body, new study suggests
• How good cholesterol turns bad
• Anticipation of stressful situations accelerates cellular aging
• Technique creates piezoelectric ferroelectric nanostructures
• Injectable gel could repair tissue damaged by heart attack
• Gold coaxed into nanowires to allow inexpensive detection of poisonous industrial gases
• Rare fungus kills endangered rattlesnakes in southern Illinois
• Cell energy sensor mechanism discovered
• Fastest wind from stellar-mass black hole
• Origin of photosynthesis revealed: Genome analysis of 'living fossil' sheds light on the evolution of plants
• Tohoku grim reminder of potential for Pacific Northwest North American megaquake
• Plant toughness: Key to cracking biofuels?
• Many young people don't know what constitutes sensible alcohol consumption
• Rare element, tellurium, detected for the first time in ancient stars
• Noninvasive method accurately and efficiently detects risk of Down syndrome, researchers say
• Is fructose being blamed unfairly for obesity epidemic?
• Step forward in effort to regenerate damaged nerves
• Does depression contribute to the aging process?
• Molecular basis of touch sensation: Researchers identify new function of a well-known gene
• Irish mammals under serious threat from 'invasional meltdown'
• Ant colonies remember rivals' odor and compete like sports fans
• Gases drawn into smog particles stay there
• Scientists unlock evolutionary secret of blood vessels
• Evolution of staph 'superbug' traced between humans and livestock
• Tadpoles adjust buoyancy to adapt to different environments
• Implantable, wireless sensors share secrets of healing tissues
• Iconic marine mammals are 'swimming in sick seas' of terrestrial pathogens
• Robotic dinosaurs on the way for next-gen paleontology
• Hubble reveals a new class of extrasolar planet
• Eat and let die: Insect feeds on toxic plants for protection from predators
• One step closer to a new kilogram
• Tongue drive system goes inside the mouth to improve performance and user comfort
• Toward better electronics: Researchers develop new way to oxidize promising graphene
• How the tiger got its stripes: Proving Turing's tiger stripe theory

Neuroscientists identify how the brain works to select what we (want to) see Posted: 21 Feb 2012 06:26 PM PST If you are looking for a particular object -- say a yellow pencil -- on a cluttered desk, how does your brain work to visually locate it? For the first time, neuroscientists have identified how different neural regions communicate to determine what to visually pay attention to and what to ignore. This finding is a major discovery for visual cognition and will guide future research into visual and attention deficit disorders.

Cocaine and the teen brain: New insights into addiction Posted: 21 Feb 2012 06:26 PM PST When first exposed to cocaine, the adolescent brain launches a strong defensive reaction designed to minimize the drug's effects, scientists have found. Now two new studies identify key genes that regulate this response and show that interfering with this reaction dramatically increases a mouse's sensitivity to cocaine.

Superbugs from space offer new source of power Posted: 21 Feb 2012 06:26 PM PST Scientists have created a "designer slime" that can double the electrical output of existing microbial fuel cells. Bacillus stratosphericus -- a microbe commonly found in high concentrations in the stratosphere orbiting Earth with the satellites -- is a key component of a new 'super' biofilm.

Caught in the act: Scientists discover microbes speciating Posted: 21 Feb 2012 06:25 PM PST Not that long ago in a hot spring in Kamchatka, Russia, two groups of genetically indistinguishable microbes decided to part ways. They began evolving into different species – despite the fact that they still encountered one another in their acidic, boiling habitat and even exchanged some genes from time to time, researchers report. This is the first example of what the researchers call sympatric speciation in a microorganism.

Stronger intestinal barrier may prevent cancer in the rest of the body, new study suggests Posted: 21 Feb 2012 06:23 PM PST Researchers have found that silencing a hormone receptor weakens the intestinal barrier, making the body more susceptible to cancer.

How good cholesterol turns bad Posted: 21 Feb 2012 01:59 PM PST Researchers have found new evidence to explain how cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) mediates the transfer of cholesterol from "good" high density lipoproteins (HDLs) to "bad" low density lipoproteins (LDLs). These findings point the way to the design of safer, more effective next generation CETP inhibitors that could help prevent the development of heart disease.

Anticipation of stressful situations accelerates cellular aging Posted: 21 Feb 2012 01:58 PM PST The ability to anticipate future events allows us to plan and exert control over our lives, but it may also contribute to stress-related increased risk for the diseases of aging, according to a new study.

Technique creates piezoelectric ferroelectric nanostructures Posted: 21 Feb 2012 01:58 PM PST Researchers have developed a "soft template infiltration" technique for fabricating free-standing piezoelectrically active ferroelectric nanotubes and other nanostructures from PZT – a material that is attractive because of its large piezoelectric response.

Injectable gel could repair tissue damaged by heart attack Posted: 21 Feb 2012 01:57 PM PST Researchers have developed a new injectable hydrogel that could be an effective and safe treatment for tissue damage caused by heart attacks.

Gold coaxed into nanowires to allow inexpensive detection of poisonous industrial gases Posted: 21 Feb 2012 12:15 PM PST Researchers have coaxed gold into nanowires as a way of creating an inexpensive material for detecting poisonous gases found in natural gas.

Rare fungus kills endangered rattlesnakes in southern Illinois Posted: 21 Feb 2012 12:15 PM PST A small population of rattlesnakes that already is in decline in southern Illinois faces a new and unexpected threat in the form of a fungus rarely seen in the wild, researchers report. The finding matches reports of rattlesnake deaths in the northeast United States.

Cell energy sensor mechanism discovered Posted: 21 Feb 2012 11:59 AM PST Researchers have discovered more details about how an energy sensing "thermostat" protein determines whether cells will store or use their energy reserves. The researchers have shown that a chemical modification on the thermostat protein changes how it's controlled. Without the modification, cells use stored energy, and with it, they default to stockpiling resources. When cells don't properly allocate their energy supply, they can die off or become cancerous.

Fastest wind from stellar-mass black hole Posted: 21 Feb 2012 11:58 AM PST Astronomers have clocked the fastest wind yet discovered blowing off a disk around a stellar-mass black hole. This result has important implications for understanding how this type of black hole behaves.

Origin of photosynthesis revealed: Genome analysis of 'living fossil' sheds light on the evolution of plants Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:54 AM PST Evolutionary biologists have shed light on the early events leading to photosynthesis, the result of the sequencing of 70 million base pair nuclear genome of the one-celled alga Cyanophora. They consider this study the final piece of the puzzle to understand the origin of photosynthesis in eukaryotes.

Tohoku grim reminder of potential for Pacific Northwest North American megaquake Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:54 AM PST The March 11, 2011 Tohoku earthquake is a grim reminder of the potential for another strong-motion mega-earthquake along the Pacific Northwest coast, geophysicists say.

Plant toughness: Key to cracking biofuels? Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:52 AM PST Along with photosynthesis, the plant cell wall is one of the features that most set plants apart from animals. A structural molecule called cellulose is necessary for the manufacture of these walls. Cellulose is synthesized in a semi-crystalline state that is essential for its function in the cell wall function, but the mechanisms controlling its crystallinity are poorly understood. New research reveals key information about this process.

Many young people don't know what constitutes sensible alcohol consumption Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:52 AM PST A new study reveals that young people do not possess the knowledge or skills required to adhere to U.S. government guidelines for responsible alcohol consumption.

Rare element, tellurium, detected for the first time in ancient stars Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:51 AM PST Researchers has detected the element tellurium for the first time in three ancient stars. Tellurium is rare on Earth.

Noninvasive method accurately and efficiently detects risk of Down syndrome, researchers say Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:51 AM PST Using a noninvasive test on maternal blood that deploys a novel biochemical assay and a new algorithm for analysis, scientists can detect, with a high degree of accuracy, the risk that a fetus has the chromosomal abnormalities that cause Down syndrome and a genetic disorder known as Edwards syndrome. The new approach is more scalable than other recently developed genetic screening tests and has the potential to reduce unnecessary amniocentesis or CVS.

Is fructose being blamed unfairly for obesity epidemic? Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:50 AM PST Is fructose being unfairly blamed for the obesity epidemic? Or do we just eat and drink too many calories? Researchers reviewed more than 40 published studies on whether the fructose molecule itself causes weight gain. In 31 "isocaloric" trials they reviewed, participants ate a similar number of calories, but one group ate pure fructose and the other ate non-fructose carbohydrates. The fructose group did not gain weight.

Step forward in effort to regenerate damaged nerves Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:50 AM PST Scientists have taken a step forward toward the goal of repairing nerves in such patients more effectively. In a new study, researchers report that a surprising set of cells may hold potential for nerve transplants.

Does depression contribute to the aging process? Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:48 AM PST Stress has numerous detrimental effects on the human body. Many of these effects are acutely felt by the sufferer, but many more go "unseen," one of which is shortening of telomere length.

Molecular basis of touch sensation: Researchers identify new function of a well-known gene Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:48 AM PST A gene known to control lens development in mice and humans is also crucial for the development of neurons responsible for mechanosensory function, as neurobiologists have now discovered. They found that in mice in which they had removed the c-Maf gene in the nerve cells, touch sensation is impaired. This similarly applies to human carriers of a mutant c-Maf gene.

Irish mammals under serious threat from 'invasional meltdown' Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:48 AM PST Some of Ireland's oldest inhabitants are facing serious threat and possible extinction because of foreign species, according to researchers.

Ant colonies remember rivals' odor and compete like sports fans Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:48 AM PST A new study has shown that weaver ants share a collective memory for the odor of ants in rival nests, and use the information to identify them and compete, similar to how sports fans know each other instantly by their unique colors.

Gases drawn into smog particles stay there Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:48 AM PST Airborne gases get sucked into stubborn smog particles from which they cannot escape, according to new findings. These finding could explain why air pollution models underestimate organic aerosols.

Scientists unlock evolutionary secret of blood vessels Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:48 AM PST Scientists have shed light on how vertebrates evolved closed circulation systems designed to more effectively carry blood to organs and tissues.

Evolution of staph 'superbug' traced between humans and livestock Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:47 AM PST A strain of the potentially deadly antibiotic-resistant bacterium known as MRSA has jumped from livestock to humans, according to a new study.

Tadpoles adjust buoyancy to adapt to different environments Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:47 AM PST Survival and reproduction of many aquatic and semi-aquatic animals can depend upon how well they float. Tadpoles use various strategies to attain buoyancy, depending upon their stage of development and location in still or turbulent waters. Researchers have taken a closer look at the developing frog's strategies to achieve buoyancy.

Implantable, wireless sensors share secrets of healing tissues Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:47 AM PST A new implantable sensor can wirelessly transmit data from the site of a recent orthopedic surgery. Inexpensive to make and highly reliable, this new sensor holds the promise of more accurate, more cost-effective, and less invasive post-surgery monitoring and diagnosis.

Iconic marine mammals are 'swimming in sick seas' of terrestrial pathogens Posted: 21 Feb 2012 07:41 AM PST Parasites and pathogens infecting humans, pets and farm animals are increasingly being detected in marine mammals such as sea otters, porpoises, harbor seals and killer whales along the Pacific coast of the US and Canada, and better surveillance is required to monitor public health implications, according to a panel of scientific experts from Canada and the United States.

Robotic dinosaurs on the way for next-gen paleontology Posted: 21 Feb 2012 07:40 AM PST Researchers are bringing the latest technological advancements in 3-D printing to the study of ancient life. Using scale models of real fossils, for the first time, they will be able to test hypotheses about how dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals moved and lived in their environments.

Hubble reveals a new class of extrasolar planet Posted: 21 Feb 2012 07:37 AM PST Observations by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have come up with a new class of planet, a waterworld enshrouded by a thick, steamy atmosphere. It's smaller than Uranus but larger than Earth.

Eat and let die: Insect feeds on toxic plants for protection from predators Posted: 21 Feb 2012 06:02 AM PST Certain insects, such as the African variegated grasshopper or the cinnabar moth, native in Europe and Asia, feed on toxic plants in order to protect themselves from predators.

One step closer to a new kilogram Posted: 20 Feb 2012 06:06 AM PST Researchers have produced technology capable of accurate measurements of Planck's constant, which is a significant step towards changing the international definition of the kilogram -- currently based on a lump of platinum-iridium metal kept in Paris, France.

Tongue drive system goes inside the mouth to improve performance and user comfort Posted: 20 Feb 2012 05:56 AM PST The Tongue Drive System is getting less conspicuous and more capable. The newest system prototype allows people with high-level spinal cord injuries to wear an inconspicuous dental retainer embedded with sensors to operate a computer and electric wheelchair simply by moving their tongues.

Toward better electronics: Researchers develop new way to oxidize promising graphene Posted: 19 Feb 2012 11:33 AM PST Many experts think graphene could change the face of electronics -- especially if the scientific community can overcome a major challenge intrinsic to the material. Oxidation could be the answer.

How the tiger got its stripes: Proving Turing's tiger stripe theory Posted: 19 Feb 2012 11:33 AM PST Researchers have provided the first experimental evidence confirming a great British mathematician's theory of how biological patterns such as tiger stripes or leopard spots are formed.

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