ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Maya Long Count calendar and European calendar linked using carbon-14 dating
• Warmest summers in last two decades in northern latitudes were unprecedented in six centuries
• New technique measures evaporation globally
• 'Seeing' the flavor of foods before tasting them
• Ice cloud heralds fall at Titan's south pole
• What happens in the brain to make music rewarding?
• How 2-million-year-old ancestor moved: Sediba's ribcage and feet were not suitable for running
• Fossilized teeth provide new insight into human ancestor: Species identified in 2010 is one of closest relatives to humans
• 'Strikingly similar' brains of human and fly may aid mental health research
• Scientists find interferon, one of the body's own proteins, induces persistent viral infection
• How human ancestor walked, chewed, and moved
• Self-medication in animals much more widespread than believed
• Blocking immune response protein helps body clear chronic infection; Potential therapy for HIV, other viral infections?
• Walk this way: New research suggests human ancestors may have used different forms of bipedalism during the plio-pleistocene
• Tiny wireless device shines light on mouse brain, generating reward
• Healing by the clock: In fruit flies, intestinal stem-cell regeneration fluctuates with the time of day
• Sound stimulation during sleep can enhance memory
• NASA's asteroid initiative: Robotically capture small near-Earth asteroid and explore it
• Molecular 'superglue' based on flesh-eating bacteria
• Scientists create phantom sensations in non-amputees
• Archaeologists shine new light on Easter Island statue
• Lights, chemistry, action: New method for mapping brain activity

Maya Long Count calendar and European calendar linked using carbon-14 dating Posted: 11 Apr 2013 04:49 PM PDT The Maya are famous for their complex, intertwined calendric systems, and now one calendar, the Maya Long Count, is empirically calibrated to the modern European calendar, according to an international team of researchers.

Warmest summers in last two decades in northern latitudes were unprecedented in six centuries Posted: 11 Apr 2013 04:48 PM PDT Through developing a statistical model of Arctic temperature and how it relates to instrumental and proxy records derived from trees, ice cores, and lake sediments, scientists have shown that the warmest summers in the last two decades are unprecedented in the previous six centuries.

New technique measures evaporation globally Posted: 11 Apr 2013 04:46 PM PDT Researchers have developed the first method to map evaporation globally using weather stations, which will help scientists evaluate water resource management, assess recent trends of evaporation throughout the globe, and validate surface hydrologic models in various conditions.

'Seeing' the flavor of foods before tasting them Posted: 11 Apr 2013 04:40 PM PDT The eyes sometimes have it, beating out the tongue, nose and brain in the emotional and biochemical balloting that determines the taste and allure of food, a scientist said at a recent meeting. He described how people sometimes "see" flavors in foods and beverages before actually tasting them.

Ice cloud heralds fall at Titan's south pole Posted: 11 Apr 2013 11:31 AM PDT An ice cloud taking shape over Titan's south pole is the latest sign that the change of seasons is setting off a cascade of radical changes in the atmosphere of Saturn's largest moon. Made from an unknown ice, this type of cloud has long hung over Titan's north pole, where it is now fading, according to new observations.

What happens in the brain to make music rewarding? Posted: 11 Apr 2013 11:30 AM PDT A new study reveals what happens in our brain when we decide to purchase a piece of music when we hear it for the first time. The study pinpoints the specific brain activity that makes new music rewarding and predicts the decision to purchase music.

How 2-million-year-old ancestor moved: Sediba's ribcage and feet were not suitable for running Posted: 11 Apr 2013 11:29 AM PDT Researchers have described the anatomy of a single early hominin in six new studies. Australopithecus sediba was discovered near Johannesburg in 2008. The studies demonstrate how our 2-million-year-old ancestor walked, chewed and moved.

Fossilized teeth provide new insight into human ancestor: Species identified in 2010 is one of closest relatives to humans Posted: 11 Apr 2013 11:29 AM PDT A dental study of fossilized remains found in South Africa in 2008 provides new support that this species is one of the closest relatives to early humans.

'Strikingly similar' brains of human and fly may aid mental health research Posted: 11 Apr 2013 11:29 AM PDT Scientists have revealed deep similarities in how the brain regulates behavior in arthropods (such as flies and crabs) and vertebrates (such as fish, mice and humans). The findings shed new light on the evolution of the brain and behavior and may aid understanding of disease mechanisms underlying mental health problems.

Scientists find interferon, one of the body's own proteins, induces persistent viral infection Posted: 11 Apr 2013 11:28 AM PDT Scientists have made a counterintuitive finding that may lead to new ways to clear persistent infection that is the hallmark of such diseases as AIDS, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

How human ancestor walked, chewed, and moved Posted: 11 Apr 2013 11:27 AM PDT Scientists have pieced together how the hominid Australopithecus sediba (Au. sediba) walked, chewed, and moved nearly two million years ago. Their research also shows that Au. sediba had a notable feature that differed from that of modern humans —- a functionally longer and more flexible lower back.

Self-medication in animals much more widespread than believed Posted: 11 Apr 2013 11:27 AM PDT It's been known for decades that animals such as chimpanzees seek out medicinal herbs to treat their diseases. But in recent years, the list of animal pharmacists has grown much longer, and it now appears that the practice of animal self-medication is a lot more widespread than previously thought, according to ecologists.

Blocking immune response protein helps body clear chronic infection; Potential therapy for HIV, other viral infections? Posted: 11 Apr 2013 11:27 AM PDT Scientists have shown that temporarily blocking a protein critical to immune response actually helps the body clear itself of chronic infection. The finding suggests new approaches to treating HIV and other persistent viral infections.

Walk this way: New research suggests human ancestors may have used different forms of bipedalism during the plio-pleistocene Posted: 11 Apr 2013 11:27 AM PDT According to a new study, our Australopithecus ancestors may have used different approaches to getting around on two feet. The new findings represent the culmination of more than four years of research into the anatomy of Australopithecus sediba (Au. sediba). The two-million-year-old fossils, discovered in Malapa cave in South Africa in 2008, are some of the most complete early human ancestral remains ever found.

Tiny wireless device shines light on mouse brain, generating reward Posted: 11 Apr 2013 11:27 AM PDT Using a miniature electronic device implanted in the brain, scientists have tapped into the internal reward system of mice, prodding neurons to release dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure. This implantable LED device is smaller than the eye of a needle and activates brain cells with light.

Healing by the clock: In fruit flies, intestinal stem-cell regeneration fluctuates with the time of day Posted: 11 Apr 2013 09:39 AM PDT Genetic screening in flies reveals that the circadian clock regulates intestinal regeneration in response to damage, meaning that gut healing fluctuates according to the time of day.

Sound stimulation during sleep can enhance memory Posted: 11 Apr 2013 09:38 AM PDT Slow oscillations in brain activity, which occur during so-called slow-wave sleep, are critical for retaining memories. Researchers have found that playing sounds synchronized to the rhythm of the slow brain oscillations of people who are sleeping enhances these oscillations and boosts their memory.

NASA's asteroid initiative: Robotically capture small near-Earth asteroid and explore it Posted: 11 Apr 2013 08:34 AM PDT NASA's FY2014 budget proposal includes a plan to robotically capture a small near-Earth asteroid and redirect it safely to a stable orbit in the Earth-moon system where astronauts can visit and explore it.

Molecular 'superglue' based on flesh-eating bacteria Posted: 11 Apr 2013 07:58 AM PDT In a classic case of turning an enemy into a friend, scientists have engineered a protein from flesh-eating bacteria to act as a molecular "superglue" that promises to become a disease fighter.

Scientists create phantom sensations in non-amputees Posted: 11 Apr 2013 04:56 AM PDT The sensation of having a physical body is not as self-evident as one might think. Almost everyone who has had an arm or leg amputated experiences a phantom limb: a vivid sensation that the missing limb is still present. A new study by neuroscientists in Sweden shows that it is possible to evoke the illusion of having a phantom hand in non-amputated individuals.

Archaeologists shine new light on Easter Island statue Posted: 11 Apr 2013 04:56 AM PDT Archaeologists have used the latest in digital imaging technology to record and analyze carvings on the Easter Island statue Hoa Hakananai'a.

Lights, chemistry, action: New method for mapping brain activity Posted: 10 Apr 2013 04:16 PM PDT Building on their history of innovative brain-imaging techniques, scientists have developed a new way to use light and chemistry to map brain activity in fully-awake, moving animals, opening a new window to the study of brain diseases.

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