ScienceDaily: Top Science News

---

• Biologists engineer algae to make complex anti-cancer 'designer' drug
• Asteroid that killed the dinosaurs also wiped out the 'Obamadon'
• Wind and solar power paired with storage could power grid 99.9 percent of the time
• Mining ancient ores for clues to early life
• Do we live in a computer simulation run by our descendants? Researchers say idea can be tested
• From fish to man: Research reveals how fins became legs
• Can your smartphone see through walls? Engineers make tiny, low-cost, terahertz imager chip
• Tiny compound semiconductor transistor could challenge silicon's dominance
• To make old skin cells act young again, boost their surroundings

Biologists engineer algae to make complex anti-cancer 'designer' drug Posted: 10 Dec 2012 01:08 PM PST Biologists have succeeded in genetically engineering algae to produce a complex and expensive human therapeutic drug used to treat cancer. Their achievement opens the door for making these and other "designer" proteins in larger quantities and much more cheaply than can now be made from mammalian cells.

Asteroid that killed the dinosaurs also wiped out the 'Obamadon' Posted: 10 Dec 2012 01:08 PM PST The asteroid collision widely thought to have killed the dinosaurs also led to extreme devastation among snake and lizard species, according to new research -- including the extinction of a newly identified lizard named Obamadon gracilis.

Wind and solar power paired with storage could power grid 99.9 percent of the time Posted: 10 Dec 2012 10:35 AM PST Renewable energy could fully power a large electric grid 99.9 percent of the time by 2030 at costs comparable to today's electricity expenses, according to new research. A well-designed combination of wind power, solar power and storage in batteries and fuel cells would nearly always exceed electricity demands while keeping costs low, scientists found.

Mining ancient ores for clues to early life Posted: 10 Dec 2012 10:35 AM PST An analysis of sulfide ore deposits from one of the world's richest base-metal mines confirms oxygen levels were extremely low on Earth 2.7 billion years ago, but also shows that microbes were actively feeding on sulfate in the ocean and influencing seawater chemistry during that geological period. The research provides new insight into how ancient metal-ore deposits can be used to better understand the chemistry of the ancient oceans -- and the early evolution of life.

Do we live in a computer simulation run by our descendants? Researchers say idea can be tested Posted: 10 Dec 2012 10:27 AM PST A decade ago, a British philosopher put forth the possibility that our universe might be a computer simulation run by our descendants. Now, physicists have come up with a potential test to see if the idea holds water.

From fish to man: Research reveals how fins became legs Posted: 10 Dec 2012 09:45 AM PST Vertebrates' transition to living on land, instead of only in water, represented a major event in the history of life. Now, researchers provide new evidence that the development of hands and feet occurred through the gain of new DNA elements that activate particular genes.

Can your smartphone see through walls? Engineers make tiny, low-cost, terahertz imager chip Posted: 10 Dec 2012 09:04 AM PST Researchers have created tiny silicon microchips that could help people see through walls, luggage, sealed boxes and containers, and other objects. The new chips generate terahertz waves that have the ability to penetrate materials with none of the harmful affects of X-rays.

Tiny compound semiconductor transistor could challenge silicon's dominance Posted: 10 Dec 2012 08:24 AM PST Silicon's crown is under threat: The semiconductor's days as the king of microchips for computers and smart devices could be numbered, thanks to the development of the smallest transistor ever to be built from a rival material, indium gallium arsenide. Researchers have developed the smallest indium gallium arsenide transistor ever built.

To make old skin cells act young again, boost their surroundings Posted: 10 Dec 2012 07:13 AM PST As we get older, the trillions of cells in our body do too. And like us, they become less resilient and able to weather the stress of everyday life. Our skin especially tells the tale of what's happening throughout our bodies. Now, scientists are learning that aging cells bear only part of the blame for this downward spiral. Skin scientists have succeeded in making the skin cells of senior citizens act like younger cells again, simply by adding more filler to the fiber-filled area around the cells.

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