ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Diamond planets may be more common than astronomers thought
• Intertwined evolution of human brain and brawn
• Sunsets on Titan reveal the complexity of hazy exoplanets
• Learning early in life may help keep brain cells alive: Brain cells survive in young who master a task
• A habitable environment on Martian volcano?
• Seafloor experts publish new view of zone where Malaysia Airlines flight 370 might lie
• Hybrid energy transfer system mimics process responsible for photosynthesis
• Light-colored butterflies and dragonflies thriving as European climate warms
• Using thoughts to control airplanes
• Clinical trial reaffirms diet beverages play positive role in weight loss

Diamond planets may be more common than astronomers thought Posted: 27 May 2014 07:05 PM PDT Carbon-rich planets may be more common than previously thought, according to new research. Some of these planets, all located far beyond Earth's solar system, could contain vast deposits of graphite or diamonds, and their apparent abundance prompts new questions about the implications of carbon-intense environments for climate, plate tectonics, and other geological processes, as well as for life.

Intertwined evolution of human brain and brawn Posted: 27 May 2014 03:53 PM PDT The cognitive differences between humans and our closest living cousins, chimpanzees, are staggeringly obvious; however a new study suggests that human muscle may be just as unique.

Sunsets on Titan reveal the complexity of hazy exoplanets Posted: 27 May 2014 03:07 PM PDT Scientists working with data from NASA's Cassini mission have developed a new way to understand the atmospheres of exoplanets by using Saturn's smog-enshrouded moon Titan as a stand-in. The new technique shows the dramatic influence that hazy skies could have on our ability to learn about these alien worlds orbiting distant stars.

Learning early in life may help keep brain cells alive: Brain cells survive in young who master a task Posted: 27 May 2014 12:47 PM PDT Using your brain -- particularly during adolescence -- may help brain cells survive and could impact how the brain functions after puberty. Scientists have found that the newborn brain cells in young rats that were successful at learning survived while the same brain cells in animals that didn't master the task died quickly.

A habitable environment on Martian volcano? Posted: 27 May 2014 12:47 PM PDT The Martian volcano Arsia Mons may have been home to one of the most recent habitable environments yet found on the Red Planet, geologists say. The research shows that volcanic eruptions beneath a glacial ice sheet would have created substantial amounts of liquid water on Mars's surface around 210 million years ago. Where there was water, there is the possibility of past life.

Seafloor experts publish new view of zone where Malaysia Airlines flight 370 might lie Posted: 27 May 2014 11:59 AM PDT A new illustration of the seafloor, created by two of the world's leading ocean floor mapping experts that details underwater terrain where the missing Malaysia Airlines flight might be located, could shed additional light on what type of underwater vehicles might be used to find the missing airplane and where any debris from the crash might lie.

Hybrid energy transfer system mimics process responsible for photosynthesis Posted: 27 May 2014 09:41 AM PDT Scientists have developed a new hybrid energy transfer system, which mimics the processes responsible for photosynthesis. From photosynthesis to respiration, the processes of light absorption and its transfer into energy represent elementary and essential reactions that occur in any biological living system. In a new study, researchers demonstrate an alternate non-radiative, intermolecular energy transfer that exploits the intermediating role of light confined in an optical cavity.

Light-colored butterflies and dragonflies thriving as European climate warms Posted: 27 May 2014 08:49 AM PDT Butterflies and dragonflies with lighter colors are out-competing darker-colored insects in the face of climate change. Scientists have shown that as the climate warms across Europe, communities of butterflies and dragonflies consist of more lighter coloured species. Darker coloured species are retreating northwards to cooler areas, but lighter coloured species are also moving their geographical range north as Europe gets warmer.

Using thoughts to control airplanes Posted: 27 May 2014 07:14 AM PDT Pilots of the future could be able to control their aircraft by merely thinking commands. Scientists have now demonstrated the feasibility of flying via brain control -- with astonishing accuracy.

Clinical trial reaffirms diet beverages play positive role in weight loss Posted: 27 May 2014 05:51 AM PDT A new study confirms that drinking diet beverages can help people lose weight. "This study clearly demonstrates that diet beverages can in fact help people lose weight, directly countering myths in recent years that suggest the opposite effect -- weight gain," said a study co-author.

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