ScienceDaily: Top Science News

---

• Detecting autism from brain activity
• Hydrogen sulfide greatly enhances plant growth: Key ingredient in mass extinctions could boost food, biofuel production
• X-ray view of a thousand-year-old cosmic tapestry
• Scientists reverse memory loss in animal brain cells
• Scientists produce best image yet of atoms moving in real time
• A new twist for quantum systems
• Gene regulates heart's ability to regenerate after injuries
• Massive galaxy had intense burst of star formation when universe was only 6 percent of current age
• Going places: Rat brain 'GPS' maps routes to rewards
• Coelacanth genome surfaces: Unexpected insights from a fish with a 300-million-year-old fossil record
• Quantum computing taps nucleus of single atom
• Family ties: Completion of zebrafish reference genome yields strong comparisons with human genome
• Parents tend to share more bacteria with family dogs than children
• ALMA telescope pinpoints early galaxies at record speed
• Scientists pinpoint brain's area for numeral recognition

Detecting autism from brain activity Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:55 PM PDT Neuroscientists have developed an efficient and reliable method of analyzing brain activity to detect autism in children, researchers report in a new study.

Hydrogen sulfide greatly enhances plant growth: Key ingredient in mass extinctions could boost food, biofuel production Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:55 PM PDT In low doses, hydrogen sulfide, a substance implicated in several mass extinctions, could greatly enhance plant growth, leading to a sharp increase in global food supplies and plentiful stock for biofuel production, new research shows.

X-ray view of a thousand-year-old cosmic tapestry Posted: 17 Apr 2013 01:50 PM PDT A long Chandra observation reveals the SN 1006 supernova remnant in exquisite detail. By overlapping 10 different pointings of Chandra's field-of-view, astronomers have stitched together a cosmic tapestry of the debris field that was created when a white dwarf star exploded, sending its material hurtling into space as seen from Earth over a millennium ago. In this new Chandra image, low, medium, and higher-energy X-rays are colored red, green, and blue respectively.

Scientists reverse memory loss in animal brain cells Posted: 17 Apr 2013 01:44 PM PDT Neuroscientists have taken a major step in their efforts to help people with memory loss tied to brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.

Scientists produce best image yet of atoms moving in real time Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:19 AM PDT Call it the ultimate nature documentary. Scientists have recorded atomic motions in real time, offering a glimpse into the very essence of chemistry and biology at the atomic level. Their recording is a direct observation of a transition state in which atoms undergo chemical transformation into new structures with new properties -- in this case the transfer of charge leading to metallic behavior in organic molecules.

A new twist for quantum systems Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:18 AM PDT Physicists have developed a method for precisely controlling quantum systems by exploiting a trick that helps cats to land on their feet and motorists to fit their cars into parking spots. In the longer run, the method could lead to the development of more reliable quantum computers.

Gene regulates heart's ability to regenerate after injuries Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:18 AM PDT Researchers have identified a specific gene that regulates the heart's ability to regenerate after injuries.

Massive galaxy had intense burst of star formation when universe was only 6 percent of current age Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:18 AM PDT Astronomers find the most prolific star factory yet seen, in a far-distant galaxy that reveals important information about the cosmic environment in the early history of the Universe.

Going places: Rat brain 'GPS' maps routes to rewards Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:18 AM PDT Studying rats' ability to navigate familiar territory, scientists found that the hippocampus uses remembered spatial information to imagine routes the rats then follow. Their discovery has implications for understanding why hippocampal damage disrupts specific types of memory and learning in people with Alzheimer's disease and age-related cognitive decline. And because these mental trajectories guide the rats' behavior, the research model may be useful in future studies on higher-level tasks, such as decision-making.

Coelacanth genome surfaces: Unexpected insights from a fish with a 300-million-year-old fossil record Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:18 AM PDT An international team of researchers has decoded the genome of the African coelacanth. The species was once thought to be extinct, but a living coelacanth was discovered off the African coast in 1938. Coelacanths today closely resemble the fossilized skeletons of their more than 300-million-year-old ancestors. Its genome confirms what many researchers had long suspected: genes in coelacanths are evolving more slowly than in other organisms.

Quantum computing taps nucleus of single atom Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:18 AM PDT Australian engineers have demonstrated that quantum information can be "written" onto the nucleus of a single atom and "read" out with incredible accuracy. The result was achieved using a silicon chip that can be wired up and operated electronically.

Family ties: Completion of zebrafish reference genome yields strong comparisons with human genome Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:17 AM PDT Researchers demonstrate today that 70 per cent of protein-coding human genes are related to genes found in the zebrafish and that 84 per cent of genes known to be associated with human disease have a zebrafish counterpart. Their study highlights the importance of zebrafish as a model organism for human disease research.

Parents tend to share more bacteria with family dogs than children Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:21 AM PDT As much as dog owners love their children, they tend to share more of themselves, at least in terms of bacteria, with their dogs.

ALMA telescope pinpoints early galaxies at record speed Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:20 AM PDT Astronomers have used the new ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) telescope to pinpoint the locations of over 100 of the most fertile star-forming galaxies in the early Universe.

Scientists pinpoint brain's area for numeral recognition Posted: 16 Apr 2013 03:00 PM PDT Scientists have determined the precise anatomical coordinates of a brain "hot spot," measuring only about one-fifth of an inch across, that is preferentially activated when people view the ordinary numerals we learn early on in elementary school, like "6" or "38."

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