ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• How do songbirds sing? In 3-D!
• Cheap and easy technique to snip DNA could revolutionize gene therapy
• Galaxy's gamma-ray flares erupted far from its black hole
• Engineered bacteria make fuel from sunlight
• Exocomets may be as common as exoplanets
• At least one in six stars has an Earth-sized planet, analysis finds
• New stem cell approach for blindness successful in mice
• Giant fossil predator provides insights into the rise of modern marine ecosystem structures
• Simulated mission to Mars reveals critical data about sleep needs for astronauts
• The reason we lose at games: Some games simply too complex for the human mind to understand
• Mechanism of hearing is similar to car battery, researcher learns
• NASA's Kepler discovers 461 new planet candidates
• Sudden, massive outburst in neighbor galaxy surprises astronomers
• Modern parenting may hinder brain development, research suggests
• Fifteen new planets hint at 'traffic jam' of moons in habitable zone
• First fossil bird with teeth specialized for tough diet

How do songbirds sing? In 3-D! Posted: 07 Jan 2013 04:07 PM PST Like humans, songbirds learn their vocalizations by imitation. Since their songs are used for finding a mate and retaining territories, birdsong is very important for reproductive success. High-field magnetic resonance imaging and micro-computed tomography have been used to construct stunning high resolution, 3-D, images, as well as a data set "morphome" of the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) vocal organ, the syrinx.

Cheap and easy technique to snip DNA could revolutionize gene therapy Posted: 07 Jan 2013 03:32 PM PST A simple, precise and inexpensive method for cutting DNA to insert genes into human cells could transform genetic medicine, making routine what now are expensive, complicated and rare procedures for replacing defective genes in order to fix genetic disease or even cure AIDS.

Galaxy's gamma-ray flares erupted far from its black hole Posted: 07 Jan 2013 02:50 PM PST In 2011, a months-long blast of energy launched by an enormous black hole almost 11 billion years ago swept past Earth. Using a combination of data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and the National Science Foundation's Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), the world's largest radio telescope, astronomers have zeroed in on the source of this ancient outburst.

Engineered bacteria make fuel from sunlight Posted: 07 Jan 2013 02:17 PM PST Chemists have engineered blue-green algae to grow chemical precursors for fuels and plastics -- the first step in replacing fossil fuels as raw materials for the chemical industry.

Exocomets may be as common as exoplanets Posted: 07 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST Astronomers have found thousands of potential exoplanets and many stars with massive disks of gas and dust that suggest planets are forming, but not much of the stuff intermediate between dust and planets, such as asteroids, planetesimals and comets. Astronomers looked closely at a number of stars with dust disks and found evidence that they also have comets, suggesting that comets are a common accompaniment to planets in many stellar systems.

At least one in six stars has an Earth-sized planet, analysis finds Posted: 07 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST The quest for a twin Earth is heating up. Using NASA's Kepler spacecraft, astronomers are beginning to find Earth-sized planets orbiting distant stars. A new analysis of Kepler data shows that about 17 percent of stars have an Earth-sized planet in an orbit closer than Mercury. Since the Milky Way has about 100 billion stars, there are at least 17 billion Earth-sized worlds out there.

New stem cell approach for blindness successful in mice Posted: 07 Jan 2013 01:04 PM PST Blind mice can see again, after Oxford University researchers transplanted developing cells into their eyes and found they could re-form the entire light-sensitive layer of the retina.

Giant fossil predator provides insights into the rise of modern marine ecosystem structures Posted: 07 Jan 2013 12:14 PM PST An international team of scientists has described a fossil marine predator measuring 8.6 meters in length (about 28 feet) recovered from the Nevada desert in 2010 as representing the first top predator in marine food chains feeding on prey similar to its own size.

Simulated mission to Mars reveals critical data about sleep needs for astronauts Posted: 07 Jan 2013 12:14 PM PST In the first study of its kind, researchers have analyzed data on the impact of prolonged operational confinement on sleep, performance, and mood in astronauts from a simulated 520-day space mission to Mars. The findings revealed alterations of life-sustaining sleep patterns and neurobehavioral consequences for crew members that must be addressed for successful human interplanetary spaceflight.

The reason we lose at games: Some games simply too complex for the human mind to understand Posted: 07 Jan 2013 12:12 PM PST If you have ever wondered why you never seem to win at skill-based games such as poker or chess, there might be a very good reason. Scientists have discovered that some games are simply impossible to fully learn, or too complex for the human mind to understand.

Mechanism of hearing is similar to car battery, researcher learns Posted: 07 Jan 2013 11:57 AM PST Biologists have shown that one of the mechanisms involved in hearing is similar to the battery in your car. And if that isn't interesting enough, the scientists advanced their knowledge of human hearing by studying a similar auditory system in fruit flies -- and by making use of the fruit fly "love song."

NASA's Kepler discovers 461 new planet candidates Posted: 07 Jan 2013 11:31 AM PST NASA's Kepler mission Monday announced the discovery of 461 new planet candidates. Four of the potential new planets are less than twice the size of Earth and orbit in their sun's "habitable zone," the region in the planetary system where liquid water might exist on the surface of a planet.

Sudden, massive outburst in neighbor galaxy surprises astronomers Posted: 07 Jan 2013 10:09 AM PST Astronomers making a long-term study of galaxies see sudden, energetic outburst in one of them. Still under observation, the outburst probably results from messy eating by a supermassive black hole.

Modern parenting may hinder brain development, research suggests Posted: 07 Jan 2013 08:05 AM PST Social practices and cultural beliefs of modern life are preventing healthy brain and emotional development in children, according to an interdisciplinary body of research.

Fifteen new planets hint at 'traffic jam' of moons in habitable zone Posted: 07 Jan 2013 07:00 AM PST Volunteers from the Planethunters.org website have discovered 15 new planet candidates orbiting in the habitable zones of other stars. Added to the 19 similar planets already discovered in habitable zones, where the temperature is neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water, the new finds suggest that there may be a 'traffic jam' of all kinds of strange worlds in regions that could potentially support life.

First fossil bird with teeth specialized for tough diet Posted: 07 Jan 2013 05:26 AM PST Beak shape variation in Darwin's finches is a classic example of evolutionary adaptation, with beaks that vary widely in proportions and shape, reflecting a diversity of ecologies. While living birds have a beak to manipulate their food, their fossil bird ancestors had teeth. Now a new fossil discovery shows some fossil birds evolved teeth adapted for specialized diets.

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