ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• The mysterious arc of Venus
• Neuroscientists show how brain responds to sensual caress
• Fossil discovery: More evidence for Asia, not Africa, as the source of earliest anthropoid primates
• Reign of the giant insects ended with the evolution of birds
• Mosquitoes fly in rain thanks to low mass
• How infectious disease may have shaped human origins
• Physicists close in on a rare particle-decay process: Underground experiment may unlock mysteries of the neutrino
• Giant black hole kicked out of home galaxy
• High blood caffeine levels in older adults linked to avoidance of Alzheimer’s disease
• Molecular algebra in mammalian cells
• US and European energy supplies vulnerable to climate change

The mysterious arc of Venus Posted: 04 Jun 2012 03:20 PM PDT When Venus transits the sun on June 5-6, an armada of spacecraft and ground-based telescopes will be on the lookout for something elusive and, until recently, unexpected: the arc of Venus.

Neuroscientists show how brain responds to sensual caress Posted: 04 Jun 2012 12:57 PM PDT A nuzzle of the neck, a brush of the knee -- these caresses often signal a loving touch, but can also feel highly aversive, depending on who is delivering the touch, and to whom. Interested in how the brain makes connections between touch and emotion, neuroscientists have discovered that the association begins in the brain's primary somatosensory cortex, a region that was thought only to respond to basic touch.

Fossil discovery: More evidence for Asia, not Africa, as the source of earliest anthropoid primates Posted: 04 Jun 2012 12:57 PM PDT A new fossil primate from Myanmar illuminates a critical step in the evolution of early anthropoids. Afrasia closely resembles another early anthropoid, Afrotarsius libycus. The close similarity indicates that early anthropoids colonized Africa only shortly before the time when these animals lived. This was a pivotal step in primate and human evolution, because it set the stage for the later evolution of more advanced apes and humans there.

Reign of the giant insects ended with the evolution of birds Posted: 04 Jun 2012 12:57 PM PDT Giant insects ruled the prehistoric skies during periods when Earth's atmosphere was rich in oxygen. Then came the birds. After the evolution of birds about 150 million years ago, insects got smaller despite rising oxygen levels, according to a new study.

Mosquitoes fly in rain thanks to low mass Posted: 04 Jun 2012 12:55 PM PDT Even rain can't deter mosquitoes. The blood-sucking insect can fly in a downpour because of its strong exoskeletons and low mass render it impervious to falling drops. Researchers determined this using high-speed videography.

How infectious disease may have shaped human origins Posted: 04 Jun 2012 12:55 PM PDT Scientists suggest that inactivation of two specific genes related to the immune system may have conferred selected ancestors of modern humans with improved protection from some pathogenic bacterial strains, such as Escherichia coli K1 and Group B Streptococci, the leading causes of sepsis and meningitis in human fetuses, newborns and infants.

Physicists close in on a rare particle-decay process: Underground experiment may unlock mysteries of the neutrino Posted: 04 Jun 2012 11:27 AM PDT In the biggest result of its kind in more than ten years, physicists have made the most sensitive measurements yet in a decades-long hunt for a hypothetical and rare process involving the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. If discovered, the researchers say, this process could have profound implications for how scientists understand the fundamental laws of physics and help solve some of the universe's biggest mysteries.

Giant black hole kicked out of home galaxy Posted: 04 Jun 2012 11:27 AM PDT Astronomers have found strong evidence that a massive black hole is being ejected from its host galaxy at a speed of several million miles per hour. New observations suggest that the black hole collided and merged with another black hole and received a powerful recoil kick from gravitational wave radiation.

High blood caffeine levels in older adults linked to avoidance of Alzheimer’s disease Posted: 04 Jun 2012 11:26 AM PDT Those cups of coffee that you drink every day to keep alert appear to have an extra perk -- especially if you're an older adult. A recent study monitoring the memory and thinking processes of people older than 65 found that all those with higher blood caffeine levels avoided the onset of Alzheimer's disease in the two-to-four years of study follow-up. Moreover, coffee appeared to be the major or only source of caffeine for these individuals.

Molecular algebra in mammalian cells Posted: 04 Jun 2012 06:28 AM PDT Researchers have reprogrammed mammalian cells in such a way as to perform logical calculations like a pocket calculator. The cells owe this ability to one of the most complex gene networks that has ever been incorporated into a higher cell.

US and European energy supplies vulnerable to climate change Posted: 03 Jun 2012 04:16 PM PDT Higher water temperatures and reduced river flows in Europe and the United States in recent years have resulted in reduced production, or temporary shutdown, of several thermoelectric power plants, resulting in increased electricity prices and raising concerns about future energy security in a changing climate. A new study projects further disruption to supply, with a likely decrease in thermoelectric power generating capacity of between 6-19% in Europe and 4-16% in the United States for the period 2031-2060, due to lack of cooling water.

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