ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Smarter than a first-grader? Crows can perform as well as 7- to 10-year-olds on cause-and-effect water displacement tasks
• Vasculature of the hive: How honey bees stay cool
• Spinach could lead to alternative energy more powerful than Popeye
• Bird 'backpacks' put wood thrush migration on the map
• The birth of topological spintronics: New material combo could lead to more efficient computers
• 15-year analysis of blue whale range off California finds conflict with shipping lanes
• The physics of lead guitar playing
• Dog jealousy: Study suggests primordial origins for the 'green-eyed monster'
• 3-D image of Paleolithic child's skull reveals trauma, brain damage
• Combination antiretroviral therapy helps treat HCV in patients co-infected with HIV
• Major impact of climate change on Antarctic fur seals
• Age of puberty in girls influenced by which parent 'imprinted' genes are inherited from
• Genetics of cancer: Non-coding DNA can finally be decoded
• How much magma is hiding beneath our feet? Mysteries of Earth's crust pierced
• How stress hormones promote brain's building of negative memories
• Physicians seeing increase in brown recluse spider bites
• Strategy proposed for preventing diseases of aging
• Calcification in changing oceans
• Voyager spacecraft might not have reached interstellar space
• New approach in search for extraterrestrial intelligence: Target alien polluters
• A crystal wedding in the nanocosmos may lead to fast multi-functional processing units on single chip
• Scientists find way to maintain quantum entanglement in amplified signals
• Atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon
• Lives and deaths of sibling stars
• Can machines think? Misidentification of humans as machines in Turing tests
• Satellite galaxies put astronomers in a spin
• Could tailored golf balls improve golfing performance?
• The electric slide dance of DNA knots
• Ancient genetic material from caries bacterium obtained for the first time
• Electronic nose could aid in rescue missions
• Life expectancy gains threatened as more older Americans suffer from multiple medical conditions
• Presence of uterine cancers at time of hysterectomy studied using morcellation
• New knee implant saves the ligaments
• Gene variant identified as heart disease risk factor for women
• Distinctive developmental origin for a drainage tube in the eye
• Death of a parent during childhood is associated with greater mortality in early adulthood
• Pathogenic connection between autoimmune disorders, cancer found

Smarter than a first-grader? Crows can perform as well as 7- to 10-year-olds on cause-and-effect water displacement tasks Posted: 23 Jul 2014 03:08 PM PDT In Aesop's fable about the crow and the pitcher, a thirsty bird happens upon a vessel of water, but when he tries to drink from it, he finds the water level out of his reach. Not strong enough to knock over the pitcher, the bird drops pebbles into it -- one at a time -- until the water level rises enough for him to drink his fill. New research demonstrates the birds' intellectual prowess may be more fact than fiction.

Vasculature of the hive: How honey bees stay cool Posted: 23 Jul 2014 01:19 PM PDT Honey bees, especially the young, are highly sensitive to temperature and to protect developing bees, adults work together to maintain temperatures within a narrow range. New research also supports the theoretical construct of the bee hive as a superorganism — an entity in which its many members carry out specialized and vital functions to keep the whole functioning as a unit.

Spinach could lead to alternative energy more powerful than Popeye Posted: 23 Jul 2014 12:20 PM PDT Spinach gave Popeye super strength, but it also holds the promise of a different power for a group of scientists: the ability to convert sunlight into a clean, efficient alternative fuel. Physicists are using spinach to study the proteins involved in photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert the sun's energy into carbohydrates used to power cellular processes. Artificial photosynthesis could allow for the conversion of solar energy into renewable, environmentally friendly hydrogen-based fuels.

Bird 'backpacks' put wood thrush migration on the map Posted: 23 Jul 2014 11:18 AM PDT Researchers have created the first migratory connectivity map produced for a songbird, using tracking from both breeding and winter sites. They were able to trace the route taken by wood thrushes from North America using bird 'backpacks'. They discovered that wood thrushes from Canada don't migrate to the same areas as their southern neighbors, and actually have a longer migratory route. The map will help identify specific areas for habitat protection.

The birth of topological spintronics: New material combo could lead to more efficient computers Posted: 23 Jul 2014 11:17 AM PDT The discovery of a new material combination that could lead to a more efficient approach to computer memory and logic is the first promising indication that it may be possible to build a practical technology with a novel material known as a 'topological insulator.' The research team's results show that such a scheme can be 10 times more efficient for controlling magnetic memory or logic than any other combination of materials measured to date.

15-year analysis of blue whale range off California finds conflict with shipping lanes Posted: 23 Jul 2014 11:17 AM PDT A comprehensive analysis of the movements of blue whales off the West Coast found that their favored feeding areas are bisected by heavily used shipping lanes, increasing the threat of injury and mortality. But moving the shipping lanes off Los Angeles and San Francisco to slightly different areas -- at least, during summer and fall when blue whales are most abundant -- could significantly decrease the probability of ships striking the whales.

The physics of lead guitar playing Posted: 23 Jul 2014 11:17 AM PDT String bends, tapping, vibrato and whammy bars are all techniques that add to the distinctiveness of a lead guitarist's sound, whether it's Clapton, Hendrix, or BB King. Now a guitarist and physicist has described the physics underlying these techniques.

Dog jealousy: Study suggests primordial origins for the 'green-eyed monster' Posted: 23 Jul 2014 11:17 AM PDT Dogs exhibit jealous behaviors. The first experimental test of jealousy in dogs supports the view that there may be a more basic form of jealousy, which evolved to protect social bonds from interlopers.

3-D image of Paleolithic child's skull reveals trauma, brain damage Posted: 23 Jul 2014 11:17 AM PDT Three-dimensional imaging of a Paleolithic child's skull reveals potentially violent head trauma that likely lead to brain damage.

Combination antiretroviral therapy helps treat HCV in patients co-infected with HIV Posted: 23 Jul 2014 11:17 AM PDT Treatment of HIV patients co-infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) with an anti-retroviral drug therapy not only tackles HIV, but also reduces HCV replication, according to a new study.

Major impact of climate change on Antarctic fur seals Posted: 23 Jul 2014 10:14 AM PDT Genetic analysis of Antarctic fur seals, alongside decades of in-depth monitoring, has provided unique insights into the effect of climate change on a population of top-predators. The findings show that the seals have significantly altered in accordance with changes in food availability that are associated with climate conditions. Despite a shift in the population towards 'fitter' individuals, this fitness is not passing down through generations, leaving the population in decline.

Age of puberty in girls influenced by which parent 'imprinted' genes are inherited from Posted: 23 Jul 2014 10:14 AM PDT The age at which girls reach sexual maturity is influenced by 'imprinted' genes, a small sub-set of genes whose activity differs depending on which parent passes on that gene, according to new research.

Genetics of cancer: Non-coding DNA can finally be decoded Posted: 23 Jul 2014 10:14 AM PDT Cancer is a disease of the genome resulting from a combination of genetic modifications, or mutations. We inherit from our parents strong or weak predispositions to developing certain kinds of cancer; in addition, we also accumulate new mutations in our cells throughout our lifetime. Although the genetic origins of cancers have been studied for a long time, researchers were not able to measure the role of non-coding regions of the genome until now.

How much magma is hiding beneath our feet? Mysteries of Earth's crust pierced Posted: 23 Jul 2014 10:13 AM PDT Molten rock, or magma, has a strong influence on our planet and its inhabitants, causing destructive volcanic eruptions and generating some of the giant mineral deposits. Our understanding of these phenomena is, however, limited by the fact that most magma cools and solidifies several kilometers beneath our feet, only to be exposed at the surface, millions of years later, by erosion.

How stress hormones promote brain's building of negative memories Posted: 23 Jul 2014 10:12 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a key component to better understanding how traumatic memories may be strengthened in women. Their study's findings suggest that developing clinical treatments that could lower norepinephrine levels immediately following a traumatic event might offer a way to prevent this memory-enhancing mechanism from occurring.

Physicians seeing increase in brown recluse spider bites Posted: 23 Jul 2014 10:12 AM PDT Medical toxicologists are reporting an increase in patients seen with brown recluse spider bites this summer. There are two components to spider bites -- the cutaneous lesion and, more rarely, the systemic symptoms that can occur following the bite.

Strategy proposed for preventing diseases of aging Posted: 23 Jul 2014 10:12 AM PDT Researchers argue that medicine focuses too much on fighting diseases individually instead of concentrating on interventions that prevent multiple chronic diseases and extend healthy lifespan. They call for moving forward with strategies that have been shown to delay aging in animals. In addition to promoting a healthy diet and regular exercise, these strategies include manipulating molecular pathways that slow aging and promote healthy longevity.

Calcification in changing oceans Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:42 AM PDT What do mollusks, starfish, and corals have in common? Aside from their shared marine habitat, they are all calcifiers -- organisms that use calcium from their environment to create hard carbonate skeletons and shells for stability and protection.

Voyager spacecraft might not have reached interstellar space Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:41 AM PDT In 2012, the Voyager mission team announced that the Voyager 1 spacecraft had passed into interstellar space, traveling further from Earth than any other humanmade object. But, in the nearly two years since that historic announcement, and despite subsequent observations backing it up, uncertainty about whether Voyager 1 really crossed the threshold continues.

New approach in search for extraterrestrial intelligence: Target alien polluters Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:12 AM PDT Humanity is on the threshold of being able to detect signs of alien life on other worlds. By studying exoplanet atmospheres, we can look for gases like oxygen and methane that only coexist if replenished by life. But those gases come from simple life forms like microbes. What about advanced civilizations? Would they leave any detectable signs? They might, if they spew industrial pollution into the atmosphere.

A crystal wedding in the nanocosmos may lead to fast multi-functional processing units on single chip Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:10 AM PDT Researchers have succeeded in embedding nearly perfect semiconductor crystals into a silicon nanowire. With this new method of producing hybrid nanowires, very fast and multi-functional processing units can be accommodated on a single chip in the future.

Scientists find way to maintain quantum entanglement in amplified signals Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:10 AM PDT Physicists have found a way to preserve quantum entanglement of particles passing through an amplifier and, conversely, when transmitting a signal over long distances.

Atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:10 AM PDT An astronomer has published the results of the comparison of his model of Titan's atmosphere with the latest data.

Lives and deaths of sibling stars Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:09 AM PDT In a new image from ESO, young stars huddle together against clouds of glowing gas and lanes of dust. The star cluster, NGC 3293, would have been just a cloud of gas and dust itself about ten million years ago, but as stars began to form it became the bright group of stars we see here. Clusters like this are laboratories that allow astronomers to learn about how stars evolve.

Can machines think? Misidentification of humans as machines in Turing tests Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:08 AM PDT Pairs were set up and judges were tasked with identifying whether who they were talking to was human or a computer. Can machines be successful in 'being human' in real conversations?

Satellite galaxies put astronomers in a spin Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:08 AM PDT Astronomers have studied 380 galaxies and shown that their small satellite galaxies almost always move in rotating discs. However, such satellite galaxy discs are not predicted by current models of the formation of structures in the Universe. This discovery could cause modelers serious headaches in the years ahead.

Could tailored golf balls improve golfing performance? Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:07 AM PDT Elements such as trip wires, dimples and sand-grain roughness on the surface of a body have been shown to be effective in reducing drag on objects such as golf balls, which helps them fly farther.

The electric slide dance of DNA knots Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:04 AM PDT DNA has the nasty habit of getting tangled and forming knots. Scientists study these knots to understand their function and learn how to disentangle them (e.g. useful for gene sequencing techniques). Scientists have been carrying out research in which they simulate these knots and their dynamics. They have now devised and tested a method based on the application of electric fields and "optical tweezers".

Ancient genetic material from caries bacterium obtained for the first time Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:04 AM PDT Streptococcus mutans, one of the principal bacteria that cause dental caries, has increased the change in its genetic material over time, possibly coinciding with dietary change linked to the expansion of humanity.

Electronic nose could aid in rescue missions Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:04 AM PDT Researchers have developed a device that allows multiple robotic platforms to follow the path of certain odors. A technology which could aid the search and rescue of people in case of natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes or floods.

Life expectancy gains threatened as more older Americans suffer from multiple medical conditions Posted: 23 Jul 2014 07:59 AM PDT With nearly four in five older Americans living with multiple chronic medical conditions, a new study finds that the more ailments you have after retirement age, the shorter your life expectancy. The analysis, one of the first to examine the burden of multiple chronic conditions on life expectancy among the elderly, may help explain why increases in life expectancy among older Americans are slowing.

Presence of uterine cancers at time of hysterectomy studied using morcellation Posted: 22 Jul 2014 01:43 PM PDT Among women undergoing a minimally invasive hysterectomy using electric power morcellation, uterine cancers were present in 27 per 10,000 women at the time of the procedure, according to a study. There has been concern that this procedure, in which the uterus is fragmented into smaller pieces, may result in the spread of undetected malignancies.

New knee implant saves the ligaments Posted: 22 Jul 2014 01:41 PM PDT A new total knee replacement that saves all of the ligaments can make a person's knee feel and move just like the original. During a traditional total knee replacement, the surgeon must remove the "island" of bone to which the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) are attached. The new knee features a shape that protects that island of bone and saves the ligaments.

Gene variant identified as heart disease risk factor for women Posted: 22 Jul 2014 12:25 PM PDT A genetic basis has been identified for heart disease in women. This new information helps to identify which women are more prone to heart disease, researchers report. The gene, when functioning normally, is activated in part by the hormone estrogen and has been previously shown to relax the blood vessels, and in turn, lower blood pressure.

Distinctive developmental origin for a drainage tube in the eye Posted: 22 Jul 2014 11:25 AM PDT Scientists have conducted a comprehensive exploration of an eye structure known as Schlemm's canal: a key gatekeeper for the proper flow of eye fluid, presenting a number of insights relevant to glaucoma and other diseases.

Death of a parent during childhood is associated with greater mortality in early adulthood Posted: 22 Jul 2014 11:25 AM PDT Experiencing the loss of a parent during childhood or adolescence is associated with a greater risk of mortality, according to a new study. Individuals who lost either a mother or a father during childhood had a greater risk of mortality in the years following the parent's death compared with people unaffected by parental death during childhood.

Pathogenic connection between autoimmune disorders, cancer found Posted: 22 Jul 2014 11:24 AM PDT Autoimmune disorders may share certain pathogenic mechanisms with cancer, according to a new report. "This study opens a new therapeutic approach for myasthenia gravis, as well as other autoimmune disorders," said one researcher. "Conventional therapies may improve the disease, but have numerous complications. This discovery may lead to a viable treatment option for the millions of American suffering from these disorders."

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