ScienceDaily: Top News

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• First forecast calls for mild Amazon fire season in 2012
• Push from Mississippi kept Deepwater Horizon oil slick off shore
• North Atlantic storm patterns throw light on England's 1987 gale
• Complexities of ancient asteroidal world revealed
• NASA Dawn spacecraft reveals secrets of giant asteroid Vesta
• Asteroid collision that spawned Vesta's asteroid family occurred more recently than thought
• Heliosphere's long-theorized bow shock does not exist, new IBEX data show
• Unseen planet revealed by its gravity
• Mural found on walls a first for a Maya dwelling; Painted numbers reflect calendar reaching well beyond 2012
• Gut-throat competition: Native bacteria fend off invaders, suggesting new way to stop dangerous forms of E. coli
• Neurodegeneration 'switched off' in mice
• Logging of tropical forests needn't devastate environment
• Helping Hands reaches out to patients with cerebral palsy
• Long-lived rodents have high levels of brain-protecting factor
• Chimpanzee cultures differ between neighbors: Neighboring chimpanzee groups use different hammers to crack nuts
• Archaeologists discover lost language
• Discovery in cell signaling could help fight against melanoma
• Evolution's gift may also be at the root of a form of autism
• Feeling tired? 'Social jetlag' poses obesity health hazard, study shows
• Citywide smoking ban reduced maternal smoking and preterm birth risk
• Light used to switch on gene expression
• Regenerative medicine: Could the ways animals regenerate hair and feathers help restore human fingers and toes?
• Solar power to dye for: Flexible lightweight inexpensive dyes could harvest energy from sun
• Gene that causes Joubert Syndrome discovered
• Maternal antibodies to gluten linked to schizophrenia risk in children
• Five-limbed brittle stars move bilaterally, like people
• Dwarf galaxy with a bright nebula
• What do marine snails and insulin have in common? New approach to treat diabetes?
• Chimpanzee uses innovative foresighted methods to fool humans
• New molecules and star formation in the Milky Way
• Free-floating planets in the milky way outnumber stars by factors of thousands: Life-bearing planets may exist in vast numbers
• Ultra-cool companion helps reveal giant planets
• Optimal planning of solar power plants
• Key cellular mechanisms behind the onset of tinnitus identified
• Testosterone-fueled infantile males might be a product of Mom's behavior
• Virtual reality allows researchers to measure fish brain activity during behavior at unprecedented resolution
• Bird color variations speed up evolution
• New weak point discovered in the Antarctic ice sheet

First forecast calls for mild Amazon fire season in 2012 Posted: 10 May 2012 07:50 PM PDT Forests in the Amazon Basin are expected to be less vulnerable to wildfires this year, according to the first forecast from a new fire severity model.

Push from Mississippi kept Deepwater Horizon oil slick off shore Posted: 10 May 2012 07:50 PM PDT Geoscientists offer an explanation for why the Deepwater Horizon oil spill didn't have the environmental impact that many had feared. Using publicly available datasets, their study reveals that the force of the Mississippi River emptying into the Gulf of Mexico created mounds of freshwater which pushed the oil slick off shore.

North Atlantic storm patterns throw light on England's 1987 gale Posted: 10 May 2012 07:46 PM PDT The cyclone that brought about the devastating winds that battered the UK in the great storm of October 1987 was exceptional in both its strength and path across the south of the country. This is the finding of a new study which has analyzed the places where sting jets – an area that develops in some cyclones and causes strong surface winds – appear in the North Atlantic and how often they do so.

Complexities of ancient asteroidal world revealed Posted: 10 May 2012 07:44 PM PDT New findings from NASA's Dawn spacecraft lay the groundwork for the first geological overview of asteroid (4)Vesta and confirm the existence of not one but two giant impact basins in its southern hemisphere.

NASA Dawn spacecraft reveals secrets of giant asteroid Vesta Posted: 10 May 2012 11:55 AM PDT NASA's Dawn spacecraft has provided researchers with the first orbital analysis of the giant asteroid Vesta, yielding new insights into its creation and kinship with terrestrial planets and Earth's moon.

Asteroid collision that spawned Vesta's asteroid family occurred more recently than thought Posted: 10 May 2012 11:19 AM PDT Scientists have discovered evidence that the giant impact crater Rheasilvia on Asteroid Vesta was created in a collision that occurred only about one billion years ago, much more recently than previously thought. This result is based on the analysis of high-resolution images obtained with the Dawn spacecraft, which entered orbit around Vesta in July 2011.

Heliosphere's long-theorized bow shock does not exist, new IBEX data show Posted: 10 May 2012 11:19 AM PDT New results reveal that the bow shock, widely accepted by researchers to precede the heliosphere as it plows through tenuous gas and dust from the galaxy does not exist. For about a quarter century, researchers believed that the heliosphere moved through the interstellar medium at a speed fast enough to form a bow shock. IBEX data have shown that the heliosphere actually moves through the local interstellar cloud at about 52,000 miles per hour, roughly 7,000 miles per hour slower than previously thought -- slow enough to create more of a bow "wave" than a shock.

Unseen planet revealed by its gravity Posted: 10 May 2012 11:19 AM PDT More than a 150 years ago, before Neptune was ever sighted in the night sky, French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier predicted the planet's existence based on small deviations in the motion of Uranus. Scientists have now inferred another unseen planet, this time orbiting a distant star, marking the first success of this technique outside the solar system.

Mural found on walls a first for a Maya dwelling; Painted numbers reflect calendar reaching well beyond 2012 Posted: 10 May 2012 11:19 AM PDT A vast city built by the ancient Maya and discovered nearly a century ago is finally starting to yield its secrets. Excavating for the first time in the sprawling complex of Xultún in Guatemala's Petén region, archaeologists have uncovered a structure that contains what appears to be a work space for the town's scribe, its walls adorned with unique paintings -- one depicting a lineup of men in black uniforms -- and hundreds of scrawled numbers. Many are calculations relating to the Maya calendar.

Gut-throat competition: Native bacteria fend off invaders, suggesting new way to stop dangerous forms of E. coli Posted: 10 May 2012 11:19 AM PDT From tiny villages in developing nations to suburban kitchens in the U.S., dangerous strains of E. coli bacteria sicken millions of people each year – and kill untold numbers of children. Now, new research gives scientists a better understanding of what is going on in the diarrhea-wracked guts of its victims, and what might be done to prevent or treat it.

Neurodegeneration 'switched off' in mice Posted: 10 May 2012 11:14 AM PDT Researchers have identified a major pathway leading to brain cell death in mice with neurodegenerative disease. They were able to block the pathway, preventing brain cell death and increasing survival in the mice.

Logging of tropical forests needn't devastate environment Posted: 10 May 2012 10:27 AM PDT Harvesting tropical forests for timber may not be the arch-enemy of conservation that it was once assumed to be, according to a new study.

Helping Hands reaches out to patients with cerebral palsy Posted: 10 May 2012 10:27 AM PDT A student-made invention, Dino-Might, was designed to help children with cerebral palsy restore strength and flexibility to their hands and wrists.

Long-lived rodents have high levels of brain-protecting factor Posted: 10 May 2012 10:27 AM PDT The naked mole rat, which lives 25 to 30 years, maintains large amounts of a neuroprotective protein called NRG-1 throughout life.

Chimpanzee cultures differ between neighbors: Neighboring chimpanzee groups use different hammers to crack nuts Posted: 10 May 2012 10:14 AM PDT Culture has long been proposed to be a distinguishing feature of the human species. However, an increasing amount of evidence from the field has shown that in several animals, differences in behaviors between populations actually reflect the presence of culture in these species. These studies have mainly come from populations that live far apart from each other which make it difficult to exclude ecological or genetic differences as being the underlying reasons for the observed behavioral differences.

Archaeologists discover lost language Posted: 10 May 2012 09:40 AM PDT Evidence for a forgotten ancient language which dates back more than 2,500 years, to the time of the Assyrian Empire, has been found by archaeologists working in Turkey. Researchers working at Ziyaret Tepe, the probable site of the ancient Assyrian city of Tušhan, believe that the language may have been spoken by deportees originally from the Zagros Mountains, on the border of modern-day Iran and Iraq.

Discovery in cell signaling could help fight against melanoma Posted: 10 May 2012 09:28 AM PDT Scientists have made a key discovery in cell signaling that is relevant to the fight against melanoma skin cancer and certain other fast-spreading tumors.

Evolution's gift may also be at the root of a form of autism Posted: 10 May 2012 09:28 AM PDT A recently evolved pattern of gene activity in the language and decision-making centers of the human brain is missing in a disorder associated with autism and learning disabilities, a new study shows.

Feeling tired? 'Social jetlag' poses obesity health hazard, study shows Posted: 10 May 2012 09:28 AM PDT Social jetlag -- a syndrome related to the mismatch between the body's internal clock and the realities of our daily schedules -- does more than make us sleepy. It is also contributing to the growing tide of obesity, according to a large-scale epidemiological study.

Citywide smoking ban reduced maternal smoking and preterm birth risk Posted: 10 May 2012 09:27 AM PDT A citywide ban on public smoking in Colorado led to significant decreases in maternal smoking and preterm births, providing the first evidence in the U.S. that such interventions can impact maternal and fetal health.

Light used to switch on gene expression Posted: 10 May 2012 08:41 AM PDT Imagine being able to control genetic expression by flipping a light switch. Researchers are using light-activated molecules to turn gene expression on and off. Their method enables greater precision when studying gene function, and could lead to targeted therapies for diseases like cancer.

Regenerative medicine: Could the ways animals regenerate hair and feathers help restore human fingers and toes? Posted: 10 May 2012 08:38 AM PDT A review article that examines what's known about regenerative biology and applies it to regenerative medicine. Perhaps this knowledge could one day be used to regrow lost body parts.

Solar power to dye for: Flexible lightweight inexpensive dyes could harvest energy from sun Posted: 10 May 2012 08:37 AM PDT Flexible, lightweight and inexpensive dyes could be used to harvest the power of the sun rather than our relying on costly and fragile semiconductor solar panel that use crystalline silicon, new research suggests.

Gene that causes Joubert Syndrome discovered Posted: 10 May 2012 08:37 AM PDT Joubert Syndrome is a condition that affects brain development and manifests itself through delayed psychomotor development, abnormal coordination of eye movements and respiratory abnormalities. Since Dr. Marie Joubert and her colleagues described it for the first time in 1969, a number of related genes have been identified in various populations, but the causal gene of the Quebec form of the syndrome has remained until now unknown.

Maternal antibodies to gluten linked to schizophrenia risk in children Posted: 10 May 2012 08:35 AM PDT Babies born to women with sensitivity to gluten appear to be at increased risk for certain psychiatric disorders later in life, according to new research.

Five-limbed brittle stars move bilaterally, like people Posted: 10 May 2012 07:03 AM PDT Brittle stars and people have something in common: They move in fundamentally similar ways. Though not bilaterally symmetrical like humans and many other animals, brittle stars have come up with a mechanism to choose any of its five limbs to direct its movement on the seabed. It's as if each arm can be the creature's front, capable of locomotion and charting direction.

Dwarf galaxy with a bright nebula Posted: 10 May 2012 07:02 AM PDT The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has made detailed observations of the dwarf galaxy NGC 2366. While it lacks the elegant spiral arms of many larger galaxies, NGC 2366 is home to a bright, star-forming nebula and is close enough for astronomers to discern its individual stars.

What do marine snails and insulin have in common? New approach to treat diabetes? Posted: 10 May 2012 07:02 AM PDT The cone snails are predators of the sea. They capture fish by injecting a venom into the prey that consists of a cocktail of different substances. The single components of the snails' venom, so-called conopeptides, are known for their extraordinary pharmacological properties and potential.

Chimpanzee uses innovative foresighted methods to fool humans Posted: 10 May 2012 07:02 AM PDT Chimpanzee Santino achieved international fame in 2009 for his habit of gathering stones and manufacturing concrete projectiles to throw at zoo visitors. A new study shows that Santino's innovativeness when he plans his stone-throwing is greater than researchers have previously observed. He not only gathers stones and manufactures projectiles in advance; he also finds innovative ways of fooling the visitors.

New molecules and star formation in the Milky Way Posted: 10 May 2012 07:02 AM PDT New research shows the first detections of new interstellar molecules and important spectral lines in space, and address different stages of the star formation process.

Free-floating planets in the milky way outnumber stars by factors of thousands: Life-bearing planets may exist in vast numbers Posted: 10 May 2012 07:02 AM PDT Researchers say life-bearing planets may exist in vast numbers in the space between stars in the Milky Way.

Ultra-cool companion helps reveal giant planets Posted: 10 May 2012 07:00 AM PDT Astronomers have found a brown dwarf that is more than 99% hydrogen and helium. Described as ultra-cool, it has a temperature of just 400 degrees Celsius and its discovery could be a key step forward in helping astronomers distinguish between brown dwarfs and giant planets.

Optimal planning of solar power plants Posted: 10 May 2012 07:00 AM PDT The photovoltaics industry is booming, and the market for solar farms is growing quickly all over the world. Yet, the task of planning PV power plants to make them as effi cient as possible is far from trivial. Researchers have now developed software that simplifies conceptual design.

Key cellular mechanisms behind the onset of tinnitus identified Posted: 10 May 2012 07:00 AM PDT Research into hearing loss after exposure to loud noises could lead to the first drug treatments to prevent the development of tinnitus.

Testosterone-fueled infantile males might be a product of Mom's behavior Posted: 10 May 2012 06:59 AM PDT By comparing the testosterone levels of five-month old pairs of twins, both identical and non-identical, researchers were able to establish that testosterone levels in infancy are not inherited genetically but rather determined by environmental factors. "Testosterone is a key hormone for the development of male reproductive organs, and it is also associated with behavioral traits, such as sexual behavior and aggression," said the lead author.

Virtual reality allows researchers to measure fish brain activity during behavior at unprecedented resolution Posted: 09 May 2012 10:59 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new technique which allows them to measure brain activity in large populations of nerve cells at the resolution of individual cells. The technique has been developed in zebrafish to represent a simplified model of how brain regions work together to flexibly control behavior.

Bird color variations speed up evolution Posted: 09 May 2012 10:59 AM PDT Researchers have found that bird species with multiple plumage color forms within in the same population, evolve into new species faster than those with only one color form, confirming a 60-year-old evolution theory.

New weak point discovered in the Antarctic ice sheet Posted: 09 May 2012 10:59 AM PDT The Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf fringing the Weddell Sea, Antarctica, may start to melt rapidly in this century and no longer act as a barrier for ice streams draining the Antarctic Ice Sheet, new research shows.

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