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Saturday, April 21, 2012

ScienceDaily: Top Science News

ScienceDaily: Top Science News


Meat eating behind evolutionary success of humankind, global population spread, study suggests

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 07:55 AM PDT

Carnivory is behind the evolutionary success of humankind. When early humans started to eat meat and eventually hunt, their new, higher-quality diet meant that women could wean their children earlier. Women could then give birth to more children during their reproductive life, which is a possible contribution to the population gradually spreading over the world. The connection between eating meat and a faster weaning process is shown by a research group from Sweden, which compared close to 70 mammalian species and found clear patterns.

Polar bears evolutionarily five times older and genetically more distinct: Ancestry traced back 600,000 years

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 07:53 AM PDT

Polar bears evolved as early as some 600,000 years ago, according to a new study. Scientists show the largest arctic carnivore to be five times older than previously thought. The new findings on the evolutionary history of polar bears are the result of an analysis of information from the nuclear genome of polar and brown bears, and shed new light on conservation issues regarding this endangered arctic specialist.

Accelerating climate change exerts strong pressure on Europe's mountain flora

Posted: 19 Apr 2012 11:31 AM PDT

Mountain plants across the continent are moving to higher altitudes. The new article is based on detailed surveys of 66 mountain summits in Europe. Scientists mapped all plant species at each European site in 2001 and 2008.

New genes discovered contributing to autism, links to psychiatric disorders

Posted: 19 Apr 2012 09:15 AM PDT

A new approach to investigating hard-to-find chromosomal abnormalities has identified 33 genes associated with autism and related disorders, 22 for the first time. Several of these genes also appear to be altered in different ways in individuals with psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia.

Could a newly discovered viral genome change what we thought we knew about virus evolution?

Posted: 18 Apr 2012 05:43 PM PDT

Scientist report on the existence of a previously undetected group of viruses and, more importantly, a new type of viral genome that could have huge implications for theories of viral emergence and evolution. Viruses are the most abundant organisms on earth, yet little is known about their evolutionary history since they have exceptionally high rates of genetic mutation which are difficult to track.

Window of opportunity to prevent cerebral palsy discovered: Nanodrugs work in newborn rabbits

Posted: 18 Apr 2012 11:37 AM PDT

Researchers have demonstrated that a nanotechnology-based drug treatment in newborn rabbits with cerebral palsy enabled dramatic improvement of movement disorders and the inflammatory process of the brain that causes many cases of CP. The findings strongly suggest that there may be an opportunity immediately after birth for drug treatment that could minimize CP.

New kind of quantum junction

Posted: 18 Apr 2012 10:48 AM PDT

A new type of quantum bit called a "phase-slip qubit" has enabled the world's first-ever experimental demonstration of coherent quantum phase slip. The groundbreaking result sheds light on an elusive phenomenon whose existence -- a natural outcome of the theory of superconductivity -- has long been speculated, but never actually observed.

Prenatal exposure to air pollution linked to childhood obesity

Posted: 16 Apr 2012 10:03 AM PDT

Pregnant women in New York City exposed to higher concentrations of chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAH, were more than twice as likely to have children who were obese by age 7 compared with women with lower levels of exposure. PAH, a common urban pollutant, are released into the air from the burning of coal, diesel, oil and gas, or other organic substances such as tobacco.

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