ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Tiny primate is ultrasonic communicator
• Memory strengthened by stimulating key site in brain
• January 2012 fourth warmest for contiguous United States, but Alaska extremely cold
• DNA sequencing helps identify cancer cells for immune system attack
• Gene therapy for inherited blindness succeeds in patients' other eye
• Sound rather than sight can activate 'seeing' for the blind, say researchers
• New image captures 'stealth merger' of dwarf galaxies
• Milky Way's black hole found grazing on asteroids
• Lull in ship noise after Sept. 11 attacks eased stress on right whales
• Bubble-powered microrockets zoom have potential to zoom through the human stomach, other acidic environments
• Obstacles no barrier to higher speeds for worms
• Growing up on a farm directly affects regulation of the immune system, study finds
• Most detailed infrared image of the Carina Nebula ever
• Hard drive breakthrough: New magnetic recording technique uses heat to process information much faster than current technology

Tiny primate is ultrasonic communicator Posted: 08 Feb 2012 07:02 PM PST Tarsiers' ultrasonic calls -- among the most extreme in the animal kingdom -- give them a "private channel" of communication, says an anthropologist.

Memory strengthened by stimulating key site in brain Posted: 08 Feb 2012 03:00 PM PST Ever gone to the movies and forgotten where you parked the car? New research may one day help you improve your memory. Neuroscientists have demonstrated that they can strengthen memory in human patients by stimulating a critical junction in the brain.

January 2012 fourth warmest for contiguous United States, but Alaska extremely cold Posted: 08 Feb 2012 12:34 PM PST During January, warmer-than-average conditions enveloped most of the contiguous United States, with widespread below-average precipitation. The overall weather pattern for the month was reflected in the lack of snow for much of the Northern Plains, Midwest, and Northeast. This scenario was in stark contrast to Alaska where several towns had their coldest January on record.

DNA sequencing helps identify cancer cells for immune system attack Posted: 08 Feb 2012 12:23 PM PST DNA sequences from tumor cells can be used to direct the immune system to attack cancer, according to scientists. The immune system relies on an intricate network of alarm bells, targets and safety brakes to determine when and what to attack. The new results suggest that scientists may now be able to combine DNA sequencing data with their knowledge of the triggers and targets that set off immune alarms to more precisely develop vaccines and other immunotherapies for cancer.

Gene therapy for inherited blindness succeeds in patients' other eye Posted: 08 Feb 2012 12:22 PM PST Gene therapy for congenital blindness took another step forward, as researchers further improved vision in three adult patients previously treated in one eye. The patients were better able to see in dim light, with no adverse effects.

Sound rather than sight can activate 'seeing' for the blind, say researchers Posted: 08 Feb 2012 11:59 AM PST Scientists have tapped onto the visual cortex of the congenitally blind by using sensory substitution devices (SSDs), enabling the blind in effect to "see" and even describe objects. SSDs are non-invasive sensory aids that provide visual information to the blind via their existing senses. For example, using a visual-to-auditory SSD in a clinical or everyday setting, users wear a miniature video camera connected to a small computer (or smart phone) and stereo headphones. The images are converted into "soundscapes," using a predictable algorithm, allowing the user to listen to and then interpret the visual information coming from the camera.

New image captures 'stealth merger' of dwarf galaxies Posted: 08 Feb 2012 10:30 AM PST New images of a nearby dwarf galaxy have revealed a dense stream of stars in its outer regions, the remains of an even smaller companion galaxy in the process of merging with its host. The host galaxy, known as NGC 4449, is the smallest primary galaxy in which a stellar stream from an ongoing merger has been identified and studied in detail.

Milky Way's black hole found grazing on asteroids Posted: 08 Feb 2012 10:30 AM PST The giant black hole at the center of the Milky Way may be vaporizing and devouring asteroids, which could explain the frequent flares observed, according to astronomers.

Lull in ship noise after Sept. 11 attacks eased stress on right whales Posted: 08 Feb 2012 10:27 AM PST Exposure to low-frequency ship noise may be associated with chronic stress in whales, according to a new study. The study, conducted in Canada's Bay of Fundy, has implications for all baleen whales in areas with heavy ship traffic, and for the recovery of the endangered North Atlantic right whale population.

Bubble-powered microrockets zoom have potential to zoom through the human stomach, other acidic environments Posted: 08 Feb 2012 10:26 AM PST Scientists have developed a new kind of tiny motor -- which they term a "microrocket" -- that can propel itself through acidic environments, such as the human stomach, without any external energy source, opening the way to a variety of medical and industrial applications. Their report describes the microrockets traveling at virtual warp speed for such devices. A human moving at the same speed would have to run at a clip of 400 miles per hour.

Obstacles no barrier to higher speeds for worms Posted: 08 Feb 2012 10:25 AM PST Obstacles in an organism's path can help it to move faster, not slower, researchers have found through a series of experiments and computer simulations. Their findings have implications for a better understanding of basic locomotion strategies found in biology, and the survival and propagation of the parasite that causes malaria.

Growing up on a farm directly affects regulation of the immune system, study finds Posted: 08 Feb 2012 10:25 AM PST A new study has shown, for the first time, that growing up on a farm directly affects the regulation of the immune system and causes a reduction in the immunological responses to food proteins.

Most detailed infrared image of the Carina Nebula ever Posted: 08 Feb 2012 05:24 AM PST ESO's Very Large Telescope has delivered the most detailed infrared image of the Carina Nebula stellar nursery taken so far. Many previously hidden features, scattered across a spectacular celestial landscape of gas, dust and young stars, have emerged. This is one of the most dramatic images ever created by the VLT.

Hard drive breakthrough: New magnetic recording technique uses heat to process information much faster than current technology Posted: 07 Feb 2012 10:35 AM PST Scientists have demonstrated a revolutionary new way of magnetic recording which will allow information to be processed hundreds of times faster than by current hard drive technology. The researchers found they could record information using only heat -- a previously unimaginable scenario. They believe this discovery will not only make future magnetic recording devices faster, but more energy-efficient too.

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