ScienceDaily: Top Science News

---

• NASA's Swift narrows down origin of important supernova class
• Not just for the birds: Human-made noise has ripple effects on plants, too
• Oil from Deepwater Horizon disaster entered food chain in the Gulf of Mexico
• Explosive stars with good table manners
• Super-Earth unlikely able to transfer life to other planets
• Greenhouse gas can find a home underground

NASA's Swift narrows down origin of important supernova class Posted: 20 Mar 2012 04:58 PM PDT Studies using X-ray and ultraviolet observations from NASA's Swift satellite provide new insights into the elusive origins of an important class of exploding star called Type Ia supernovae.

Not just for the birds: Human-made noise has ripple effects on plants, too Posted: 20 Mar 2012 04:57 PM PDT A growing body of research shows that animals change their behavior in response to human-made noise. But human clamor doesn't just affect animals. Because many animals also pollinate plants or eat or disperse their seeds, human noise can have ripple effects on plants too, finds a new study. In cases where noise has ripple effects on long-lived plants like trees, the consequences could last long after the source of the noise goes away, researchers say.

Oil from Deepwater Horizon disaster entered food chain in the Gulf of Mexico Posted: 20 Mar 2012 11:21 AM PDT Since the explosion on the BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico in April of 2010, scientists have been working to understand the impact the disaster has had on the environment. For months, crude oil gushed into the water before the well was capped. A new study confirms that oil from the Macondo well made it into the ocean's food chain through the tiniest of organisms, zooplankton.

Explosive stars with good table manners Posted: 20 Mar 2012 11:20 AM PDT In two comprehensive studies of SN 2011fe -- the closest Type Ia supernova in the past two decades -- there is new evidence that indicates that the white dwarf progenitor was a particularly picky eater, leading scientists to conclude that the companion star was not likely to be a sun-like star or an evolved giant.

Super-Earth unlikely able to transfer life to other planets Posted: 20 Mar 2012 08:56 AM PDT While scientists believe conditions suitable for life might exist on the so-called "super-Earth" in the Gliese 581 system, it's unlikely to be transferred to other planets within that solar system.

Greenhouse gas can find a home underground Posted: 19 Mar 2012 01:38 PM PDT A new study shows that there is enough capacity in deep saline aquifers in the United States to store at least a century's worth of carbon dioxide emissions from the nation's coal-fired powerplants. Though questions remain about the economics of systems to capture and store such gases, this study addresses a major issue that has overshadowed such proposals.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Top Science News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610