ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Evidence further suggests extra-terrestrial origin of quasicrystals
• Gecko feet hold clues to creating bandages that stick when wet
• Scientist discovers plate tectonics on Mars
• Soft autonomous robot inches along like an earthworm: Flexible design enables body-morphing capability
• Searching salt for answers about life on Earth, Mars
• Why living in the moment is impossible: Decision-making memories stored in mysterious brain area known to be involved with vision
• You snooze, you lose: Less sleep leads to more offspring in male pectoral sandpipers
• 1.5 million years of climate history revealed after scientists solve mystery of the deep
• Cheaper and cleaner catalyst for burning methane
• Neuroscientists find brain stem cells that may be responsible for higher functions, bigger brains
• Human antibodies that protect against large variety of flu viruses described
• Neolithic man: The first lumberjack?
• Pine trees one of biggest contributors to air pollution: Pine gases chemically transformed by free radicals
• Earliest use of Mexican turkeys by ancient Maya
• And then there was light! Discovery of the world's first eyeless huntsman spider
• Plenty of dark matter near the Sun
• Drivers of marine biodiversity: Tiny, freeloading clams find the key to evolutionary success
• How a leaf beetle walks underwater

Evidence further suggests extra-terrestrial origin of quasicrystals Posted: 09 Aug 2012 04:07 PM PDT Results from an expedition to far eastern Russia that set out to find the origin of naturally occurring quasicrystals have provided convincing evidence that they arrived on Earth from outer space. Scientists reveal that new, naturally occurring quasicrystal samples have been found in an environment that does not have the extreme terrestrial conditions needed to produce them, therefore strengthening the case that they were brought to Earth by a meteorite.

Gecko feet hold clues to creating bandages that stick when wet Posted: 09 Aug 2012 01:27 PM PDT A better understanding of geckos' gripping power in wet conditions may lead to improvements in bandages and sutures.

Scientist discovers plate tectonics on Mars Posted: 09 Aug 2012 12:58 PM PDT For years, many scientists had thought that plate tectonics existed nowhere in our solar system but on Earth. Now, a researcher has discovered that the geological phenomenon, which involves the movement of huge crustal plates beneath a planet's surface, also exists on Mars.

Soft autonomous robot inches along like an earthworm: Flexible design enables body-morphing capability Posted: 09 Aug 2012 12:13 PM PDT Researchers have engineered a soft autonomous robot that moves via peristalsis, crawling across surfaces by contracting segments of its body, much like an earthworm.

Searching salt for answers about life on Earth, Mars Posted: 09 Aug 2012 12:13 PM PDT Researchers have discovered that not only is there evidence of liquid water on Mars, but the planet is also rich with magnesium sulfate. One of the questions researchers are seeking to answer is whether microbial life on Earth can grow at high concentrations of magnesium sulfate.

Why living in the moment is impossible: Decision-making memories stored in mysterious brain area known to be involved with vision Posted: 09 Aug 2012 11:16 AM PDT The sought-after equanimity of "living in the moment" may be impossible, according to neuroscientists who've pinpointed a brain area responsible for using past decisions and outcomes to guide future behavior.

You snooze, you lose: Less sleep leads to more offspring in male pectoral sandpipers Posted: 09 Aug 2012 11:16 AM PDT During the breeding season, polygynous male pectoral sandpipers that sleep the least sire the most young. Biologists have now discovered this extraordinary relationship. During three weeks of intense competition under the constant daylight of the Arctic summer, males actively court females and compete with other males. The most sleepless males were found to be the most successful in producing young.

1.5 million years of climate history revealed after scientists solve mystery of the deep Posted: 09 Aug 2012 11:16 AM PDT Scientists have announced a major breakthrough in understanding the Earth's climate machine by reconstructing highly accurate records of changes in ice volume and deep-ocean temperatures over the last 1.5 million years.

Cheaper and cleaner catalyst for burning methane Posted: 09 Aug 2012 11:16 AM PDT Researchers have created a material that catalyzes the burning of methane 30 times better than do currently available catalysts.

Neuroscientists find brain stem cells that may be responsible for higher functions, bigger brains Posted: 09 Aug 2012 11:15 AM PDT Scientists have identified a new stem cell population that may be responsible for giving birth to the neurons responsible for higher thinking. The finding also paves the way for scientists to produce these neurons in culture—a first step in developing better treatments for cognitive disorders, such as schizophrenia and autism, which result from disrupted connections among these brain cells.

Human antibodies that protect against large variety of flu viruses described Posted: 09 Aug 2012 11:15 AM PDT Scientists have described three human antibodies that provide broad protection against Influenza B virus strains. The same team had previously reported finding broadly neutralizing antibodies against Influenza A strains.

Neolithic man: The first lumberjack? Posted: 09 Aug 2012 10:38 AM PDT Scientists have unearthed evidence that sophisticated carpentry tools first appeared at the same time as increased agriculture and the establishment of permanent settlements during the Neolithic Age.

Pine trees one of biggest contributors to air pollution: Pine gases chemically transformed by free radicals Posted: 09 Aug 2012 10:38 AM PDT Pine trees are one of the biggest contributors to air pollution. They give off gases that react with airborne chemicals creating tiny, invisible particles that muddy the air. Scientists have shown that particles formed by pine trees are much more dynamic than previously thought. The findings can help make climate and air quality prediction models more accurate, and inform regulatory agencies as they consider strategies for improving air quality.

Earliest use of Mexican turkeys by ancient Maya Posted: 09 Aug 2012 06:07 AM PDT A new study shows the turkey, one of the most widely consumed birds worldwide, was domesticated more than 1,000 years earlier than previously believed.

And then there was light! Discovery of the world's first eyeless huntsman spider Posted: 09 Aug 2012 06:04 AM PDT A scientist has discovered the first eyeless huntsman spider in the world. With a leg span of only six centimetres and a body size of around twelve millimetres, the spider Sinopoda scurion is certainly not one of the largest representatives of the huntsman spiders, which include more than 1100 species. However, it is the first of its kind in the world without any eyes.

Plenty of dark matter near the Sun Posted: 09 Aug 2012 06:04 AM PDT Astronomers have found large amounts of invisible "dark matter" near the Sun. Their results are inconsistent with the theory that the Milky Way Galaxy is surrounded by a massive "halo" of dark matter, but this is the first study of its kind to use a method rigorously tested against mock data from high quality simulations. The authors also find tantalizing hints of a new dark matter component in our Galaxy.

Drivers of marine biodiversity: Tiny, freeloading clams find the key to evolutionary success Posted: 09 Aug 2012 06:03 AM PDT What mechanisms control the generation and maintenance of biological diversity on the planet? It's a central question in evolutionary biology. For land-dwelling organisms such as insects and the flowers they pollinate, it's clear that interactions between species are one of the main drivers of the evolutionary change that leads to biological diversity.

How a leaf beetle walks underwater Posted: 08 Aug 2012 10:25 AM PDT Insects are experts when it comes to adhesion on dry surfaces. However, in nature, plants may be covered by water for quite a long period of time, especially after rain. Scientists have now discovered the remarkable ability of the terrestrial leaf beetle to walk underwater. Picking up the beetle's locomotion mechanism, they designed an artificial material, which sticks to surfaces underwater.

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