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Friday, January 4, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Science News

ScienceDaily: Top Science News


Gene variant linked to active personality traits also linked to human longevity

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 12:15 PM PST

A variant of a gene associated with active personality traits in humans seems to also be involved with living a longer life, researchers have found. People who carry this variant gene seem to be more motivated to pursue social, intellectual and physical activities. The variant is also linked to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and addictive and risky behaviors, researchers say.

Planets abound: Astronomers estimate that at least 100 billion planets populate the galaxy

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 11:34 AM PST

Look up at the night sky and you'll see stars, sure. But you're also seeing planets -- billions and billions of them. At least. That's the conclusion of a new study by astronomers that provides yet more evidence that planetary systems are the cosmic norm. The team made their estimate while analyzing planets orbiting a star called Kepler-32 -- planets that are representative, they say, of the vast majority in the galaxy and thus serve as a perfect case study for understanding how most planets form.

Editing genome with high precision: New method to insert multiple genes in specific locations, delete defective genes

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 11:32 AM PST

Researchers have developed a new technique for precisely altering the genomes of living cells by adding or deleting genes.

First meteorite linked to Martian crust

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 11:32 AM PST

After extensive analyses, researchers have identified a new class of Martian meteorite that likely originated from Mars's crust. It is also the only meteoritic sample dated to 2.1 billion years ago, the early era of the most recent geologic epoch on Mars. The meteorite contains an order of magnitude more water than any other Martian meteorite.

Stem cell technology could help harness patients' own immune cells to fight disease

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 10:11 AM PST

Researchers reporting in two separate recent articles used stem cell technology to successfully regenerate patients' immune cells, creating large numbers that were long-lived and could recognize their specified targets: HIV-infected cells in one case and cancer cells in the other. The findings could help in the development of strategies to rejuvenate patients' exhausted immune responses.

Carbon in Vesta's craters: Asteroid impacts may have transferred carbonaceous material to protoplanet and inner solar system

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 10:09 AM PST

The protoplanet Vesta has been witness to an eventful past: images taken by the framing camera onboard NASA's space probe Dawn show two enormous craters in the southern hemisphere. The images were obtained during Dawn's year-long visit to Vesta that ended in September 2012. These huge impacts not only altered Vesta's shape, but also its surface composition. Scientists have shown that impacting small asteroids delivered dark, carbonaceous material to the protoplanet. In the early days of our solar system, similar events may have provided the inner planets such as Earth with carbon, an essential building block for organic molecules.

Astrophysicists make stellar discovery about galaxies far, far away

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 08:38 AM PST

Astrophysicists have shed new light on how galaxies formed in the early universe. The discovery suggests that the current model for galaxy formation and evolution needs to be reassessed.

Biologists unlock 'black box' to underground world: How tiny microbes make life easier for humans

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 06:20 AM PST

Biologists have unlocked the "black box" to the underground world home to billions of microscopic creatures. That first peek inside may well explain how the number of species in an ecosystem changes the way it functions.

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