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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News


Gulf of Mexico topography played key role in bacterial consumption of Deepwater Horizon spill

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 06:22 PM PST

When scientists reported that bacterial blooms had consumed almost all the deepwater methane plumes after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon oil spill, some were skeptical.

Pill some day may prevent serious foodborne illness, scientist says

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 06:20 PM PST

Modified probiotics, the beneficial bacteria touted for their role in digestive health, could one day decrease the risk of Listeria infection in people with susceptible immune systems, according to new research.

Grief over losing loved one linked to higher heart attack risks

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 06:20 PM PST

Heart attack risks are extremely high for the bereaved in the days and weeks after losing a loved one. The first day after a loved one died, heart attack risk was 21 times higher than normal, which declined progressively over the first month. Friends and family of a bereaved person should watch for heart attack signs and help him or her maintain their medication regimen.

Theory explains how new material could improve electronic shelf life

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 06:15 PM PST

Engineers have discovered that the new material graphene conducts heat about 20 times faster than silicon, making it an option as a semiconductor material that could produce quieter and longer-lasting computers, cellphones and other devices.

New light shed on how children learn to speak

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 12:59 PM PST

Researchers have discovered that children under the age of two control speech using a different strategy than previously thought.

Getting cancer cells to swallow poison

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 12:59 PM PST

Researchers created a drug delivery system that is able to effectively deliver a tremendous amount of chemotherapeutic drugs to prostate cancer cells.

Nanoscale metallic conductivity demonstrataed in ferroelectrics

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 12:59 PM PST

The prospect of electronics at the nanoscale may be even more promising with the first observation of metallic conductance in ferroelectric nanodomains.

Protein complex plays role in suppressing pancreatic tumors

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 12:57 PM PST

A well-known protein complex responsible for controlling how DNA is expressed plays a previously unsuspected role in preventing pancreatic cancer, according to researchers.

Clearest picture yet of dark matter points the way to better understanding of dark energy

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 12:57 PM PST

Scientists have independently made the largest direct measurements of the invisible scaffolding of the universe, using the gravitational lensing effect known as "cosmic shear" to build maps of the distribution of dark matter. Their methods show that surveys with ground-based telescopes can measure cosmic shear with enough accuracy to aid in better understanding the mysterious space-stretching effects of dark energy.

Chemical measurements confirm official estimate of Gulf oil spill rate

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 12:57 PM PST

By combining detailed chemical measurements in the deep ocean, in the oil slick, and in the air, NOAA scientists and academic colleagues have independently estimated how fast gases and oil were leaking during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The new chemistry-based spill rate estimate, an average of 11,130 tons of gas and oil compounds per day, is close to the official average leak rate estimate of about 11,350 tons.

'Google Flu Trends' is a powerful early warning system for emergency departments

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 12:55 PM PST

Monitoring Internet search traffic about influenza may prove to be a better way for hospital emergency rooms to prepare for a surge in sick patients compared to waiting for outdated government flu case reports.

Scientists solve mystery of colorful armchair nanotubes

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 11:59 AM PST

Researchers have figured out what gives armchair nanotubes their unique bright colors: hydrogen-like objects called excitons.

Unique protein organization in arteries associated with cardiovascular disease

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 11:59 AM PST

Researchers have now used advanced 3-D microscopic imaging technology to identify and monitor the proteins involved in the artery stiffening process. These findings could eventually help researchers and physicians understand and treat complications associated with cardiovascular disease.

Nanoparticles hold promise as potential vehicle for drug delivery in brain

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 10:27 AM PST

In the images of fruit flies, clusters of neurons are all lit up, forming a brightly glowing network of highways within the brain. It's exactly what researchers were hoping to see: It meant that ORMOSIL, a novel class of nanoparticles, had successfully penetrated the insects' brains. And even after long-term exposure, the cells and the flies themselves remained unharmed.

Could Siberian volcanism have caused the Earth's largest extinction event?

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 10:27 AM PST

Around 250 million years ago there was a mass extinction so severe that it remains the most traumatic known species die-off in Earth's history. Although the cause of this event is a mystery, it has been speculated that the eruption of a large swath of volcanic rock in Russia was a trigger for the extinction. New research offers insight into how this volcanism could have contributed to drastic deterioration in the global environment of the period.

How does our brain know what is a face and what's not?

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 10:27 AM PST

Objects that resemble faces are everywhere. Whether it's New Hampshire's erstwhile granite "Old Man of the Mountain," or Jesus' face on a tortilla, our brains are adept at locating images that look like faces. However, the normal human brain is almost never fooled into thinking such objects actually are human faces. New research by neuroscientists helps explain how the brain recognizes faces.

Astronomers reach new frontiers of dark matter

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 10:27 AM PST

For the first time, astronomers have mapped dark matter on the largest scale ever observed. New findings reveal a Universe comprising an intricate cosmic web of dark matter and galaxies spanning more than one billion light years.

Tracking genes' remote controls: New method for observing enhancer activity during development

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 10:26 AM PST

Inside each cell's nucleus, genetic sequences known as enhancers act like remote controls, switching genes on and off. Scientists can now see -- and predict -- exactly when each remote control is itself activated, in a real embryo.

Scientists discover a Saturn-like ring system eclipsing a sun-like star

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 08:58 AM PST

A team of astrophysicists has discovered a ring system in the constellation Centaurus that invites comparisons to Saturn. This is the first system of discrete, thin, dust rings detected around a very low-mass object outside of our solar system.

New cores from glacier in Eastern European Alps may yield new climate clues

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 08:58 AM PST

Researchers are beginning their analysis of what are probably the first successful ice cores drilled to bedrock from a glacier in the eastern European Alps.

Fit females make more daughters, mighty males get grandsons

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 07:29 AM PST

Females influence the gender of their offspring so they inherit either their mother's or grandfather's qualities. "High-quality" females -- those which produce more offspring -- are more likely to have daughters. Weaker females, whose own fathers were stronger and more successful, produce more sons.

Almost perfect: A breakthrough in superlens development

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 07:29 AM PST

A new theoretical negative-index metamaterial works by overcoming the diffraction limit throughout the visible spectrum.

Keeping electronics cool

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 07:29 AM PST

An engineering professor has made a breakthrough discovery with graphene, a material that could play a major role in keeping laptops and other electronic devices from overheating.

Most parents who get tested for breast cancer genes share results with their children

Posted: 09 Jan 2012 07:29 AM PST

A new study has found that when parents get tested for breast cancer genes, many of them share their results with their children, even with those who are very young.

Colorado mountain hail may disappear in a warmer future

Posted: 08 Jan 2012 11:35 AM PST

Summertime hail could all but disappear from the eastern flank of Colorado's Rocky Mountains by 2070, according to a new modeling study. Less hail damage could be good news for gardeners and farmers, but a shift from hail to rain can also mean more runoff, which could raise the risk of flash floods, she said.

'Couch potato pill' might stop heat stroke too

Posted: 08 Jan 2012 11:35 AM PST

Scientists have discovered what they believe is one of the first drugs to combat heat stroke. An experimental therapy once dubbed the "couch potato pill" for its ability to mimic the effects of exercise in sedentary mice protected animals genetically predisposed to the disorder and may hold promise for the treatment of people with enhanced susceptibility to heat-induced sudden death.

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