ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Sulfur finding may hold key to Gaia theory of Earth as living organism
• Hidden lives of elephant seals: Record-setting dive more than a mile deep
• Ancient sea reptile with gammy jaw suggests dinosaurs got arthritis too
• New look at prolonged radiation exposure: At low dose-rate, radiation poses little risk to DNA, study suggests
• Drugs from gila monster lizard saliva reduces cravings for chocolate and ordinary food
• This is your brain on sugar: Study in rats shows high-fructose diet sabotages learning, memory
• A supernova cocoon breakthrough
• Statistical analysis projects future temperatures in North America
• Tiny plants could cut costs, shrink environmental footprint
• Surgeons restore some hand function to quadriplegic patient
• Black holes turn up the heat for the Universe
• First ever record of insect pollination from 100 million years ago

Sulfur finding may hold key to Gaia theory of Earth as living organism Posted: 15 May 2012 05:31 PM PDT Is Earth really a sort of giant living organism as the Gaia hypothesis predicts? A new discovery may provide a key to answering this question. This key of sulfur could allow scientists to unlock heretofore hidden interactions between ocean organisms, atmosphere, and land -- interactions that might provide evidence supporting this famous theory.

Hidden lives of elephant seals: Record-setting dive more than a mile deep Posted: 15 May 2012 05:30 PM PDT The same researchers who pioneered the use of satellite tags to monitor the migrations of elephant seals have compiled one of the largest datasets available for any marine mammal species, revealing their movements and diving behavior at sea in unprecedented detail.

Ancient sea reptile with gammy jaw suggests dinosaurs got arthritis too Posted: 15 May 2012 05:30 PM PDT Imagine having arthritis in your jaw bones ... if they're over 2 meters long! A new study has found signs of a degenerative condition similar to human arthritis in the jaw of a pliosaur, an ancient sea reptile that lived 150 million years ago. Such a disease has never been described before in fossilized Jurassic reptiles.

New look at prolonged radiation exposure: At low dose-rate, radiation poses little risk to DNA, study suggests Posted: 15 May 2012 03:12 PM PDT A new study suggests that the guidelines governments use to determine when to evacuate people following a nuclear accident may be too conservative.

Drugs from gila monster lizard saliva reduces cravings for chocolate and ordinary food Posted: 15 May 2012 01:54 PM PDT A drug made from the saliva of the Gila monster lizard is effective in reducing the craving for food. Researchers have tested the drug on rats, who after treatment ceased their cravings for both food and chocolate.

This is your brain on sugar: Study in rats shows high-fructose diet sabotages learning, memory Posted: 15 May 2012 12:09 PM PDT A new study is the first to show how a diet steadily high in fructose slows the brain, hampering memory and learning -- and how omega-3 fatty acids can minimize the damage.

A supernova cocoon breakthrough Posted: 15 May 2012 10:17 AM PDT Astronomers have the first X-ray evidence of a supernova shock wave breaking through a cocoon of gas surrounding the star that exploded. This discovery may help astronomers understand why some supernovas are much more powerful than others.

Statistical analysis projects future temperatures in North America Posted: 15 May 2012 10:16 AM PDT For the first time, researchers have been able to combine different climate models using spatial statistics -- to project future seasonal temperature changes in regions across North America.

Tiny plants could cut costs, shrink environmental footprint Posted: 15 May 2012 07:46 AM PDT Tall, waving corn fields that line Midwestern roads may one day be replaced by dwarfed versions that require less water, fertilizer and other inputs, thanks to a fungicide commonly used on golf courses.

Surgeons restore some hand function to quadriplegic patient Posted: 15 May 2012 07:45 AM PDT Surgeons have restored some hand function in a quadriplegic patient with a spinal cord injury at the C7 vertebra, the lowest bone in the neck. Instead of operating on the spine itself, the surgeons rerouted working nerves in the upper arms. These nerves still "talk" to the brain because they attach to the spine above the injury.

Black holes turn up the heat for the Universe Posted: 15 May 2012 06:39 AM PDT Astrophysicists have just discovered a new heating source in cosmological structure formation. Until now, astrophysicists thought that super-massive black holes could only influence their immediate surroundings. Scientists have now discovered that diffuse gas in the universe can absorb luminous gamma-ray emission from black holes, heating it up strongly. This surprising result has important implications for the formation of structures in the universe.

First ever record of insect pollination from 100 million years ago Posted: 14 May 2012 12:31 PM PDT Amber from the Cretaceous period found in Spain has revealed the first ever fossil record of insect pollination. Scientists discovered and studied with X-rays at the ESRF a specimen of a tiny insect covered with pollen grains. This is the first record of pollen transport and social behavior in this group of animals.

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