ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change
• World's most extraordinary species mapped for the first time
• H1N1 discovered in marine mammals
• Frog once imported for pregnancy testing brought deadly amphibian disease to US
• Clam fossils divulge secrets of ecologic stability
• Jekyll into Hyde: Breathing auto emissions turns HDL cholesterol from 'good' to 'bad'
• Brain rewires itself after damage or injury, life scientists discover
• New craters abound: Mars camera reveals hundreds of impacts each year
• Scientists shape first global topographic map of Saturn's moon Titan
• Repeat brain injury raises soldiers' suicide risk
• Nanoscavengers could usher in next generation water purification
• Black hole powered jets plow into galaxy
• Evolution shapes new rules for ant behavior, research finds
• Oldest evidence of split between Old World monkeys and apes: Primate fossils are 25 million years old
• First direct proof of Hofstadter butterfly fractal observed in moiré superlattices
• Billion-year-old water could hold clues to life on Earth and Mars
• Catching graphene butterflies: Dramatically changing electronic properties of world's thinnest material
• No idle chatter: Malaria parasites 'talk' to each other
• Human skin cells converted into embryonic stem cells: First time human stem cells have been produced via nuclear transfer
• Novel brain training device to reconnect brain and paralyzed limb after stroke
• Friction in the nano-world: Physicists discover a new kind of friction
• Intestinal bacterium Akkermansia curbs obesity
• Untangling the tree of life
• Political motivations may have evolutionary links to physical strength
• Electronics comes to paper: Paper, being light and foldable, works well for electrically conducting structures
• Orion's hidden fiery ribbon

Scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change Posted: 15 May 2013 05:30 PM PDT A comprehensive analysis of peer-reviewed articles on the topic of global warming and climate change has revealed an overwhelming consensus among scientists that recent warming is human-caused.

World's most extraordinary species mapped for the first time Posted: 15 May 2013 02:44 PM PDT The black-and-white ruffed lemur, Mexican salamander and Sunda pangolin all feature on the first map of the world's most unique and threatened mammals and amphibians.

H1N1 discovered in marine mammals Posted: 15 May 2013 02:44 PM PDT Scientists detected the H1N1 (2009) virus in free-ranging northern elephant seals off the central California coast a year after the human pandemic began.

Frog once imported for pregnancy testing brought deadly amphibian disease to US Posted: 15 May 2013 02:43 PM PDT African frogs, originally imported for early 20th century pregnancy tests, carried a deadly amphibian disease to the US, according to new findings. African Clawed Frogs have long been suspected of spreading a harmful fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. The earliest known case of the fungus was found in these frogs in their native South Africa. Now scientists have found the first evidence of the disease among introduced feral populations in the US.

Clam fossils divulge secrets of ecologic stability Posted: 15 May 2013 02:40 PM PDT Clam fossils from the middle Devonian era now yield a better paleontological picture of the capacity of ecosystems to remain stable in the face of environmental change, according to new research.

Jekyll into Hyde: Breathing auto emissions turns HDL cholesterol from 'good' to 'bad' Posted: 15 May 2013 02:40 PM PDT Academic researchers have found that breathing motor vehicle emissions triggers a change in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, altering its cardiovascular protective qualities so that it actually contributes to clogged arteries. The finding, shown in mice, reveals how car emissions activate the early cell and tissue damage called oxidation that causes inflammation leading to hardening of the arteries and HDL cholesterol may play a key role.

Brain rewires itself after damage or injury, life scientists discover Posted: 15 May 2013 01:50 PM PDT The brain forms complex new circuits after damage to compensate for lost function, often far from the damaged region, life scientists report. The new study identified the exact regions of the brain that take over when the brain's hippocampus is damaged, and is the first demonstration of such neural circuit plasticity.

New craters abound: Mars camera reveals hundreds of impacts each year Posted: 15 May 2013 01:50 PM PDT Taking before and after pictures of the Martian terrain, researchers have identified nearly 250 fresh impact craters on the Red Planet. The results provide scientists with a better yardstick to estimate how frequently craters are blasted on Mars, allowing them to assess recently formed features with greater accuracy.

Scientists shape first global topographic map of Saturn's moon Titan Posted: 15 May 2013 01:39 PM PDT Scientists have created the first global topographic map of Saturn's moon Titan, giving researchers a valuable tool for learning more about one of the most Earthlike and interesting worlds in the solar system.

Repeat brain injury raises soldiers' suicide risk Posted: 15 May 2013 01:39 PM PDT Suicide risk is higher among military personnel with more lifetime TBIs, even after controlling for clinical symptom severity. Results of the study show that multiple TBIs, which are common among military personnel, may contribute to increased risk for suicide.

Nanoscavengers could usher in next generation water purification Posted: 15 May 2013 12:15 PM PDT A new synthetic nanoparticle could disinfect, depollute, and desalinate contaminated water and then get removed magnetically. This improves upon existing technologies through ultraresponsiveness to magnetism.

Black hole powered jets plow into galaxy Posted: 15 May 2013 12:14 PM PDT The intense gravity of a supermassive black hole can be tapped to produce immense power in the form of jets moving at millions of miles per hour.

Evolution shapes new rules for ant behavior, research finds Posted: 15 May 2013 10:16 AM PDT Biologist Deborah M. Gordon's decades-long study of collective behavior in harvester ant colonies has provided a rare real-time look at natural selection at work.

Oldest evidence of split between Old World monkeys and apes: Primate fossils are 25 million years old Posted: 15 May 2013 10:15 AM PDT Two fossil discoveries from the East African Rift reveal new information about the evolution of primates, according to a new study.

First direct proof of Hofstadter butterfly fractal observed in moiré superlattices Posted: 15 May 2013 10:15 AM PDT Scientists have directly observed a rare quantum effect that produces a repeating butterfly-shaped energy spectrum, confirming the longstanding prediction of this quantum fractal energy structure called Hofstadter's butterfly.

Billion-year-old water could hold clues to life on Earth and Mars Posted: 15 May 2013 10:15 AM PDT Scientists have discovered ancient pockets of water, which have been isolated deep underground for billions of years and contain abundant chemicals known to support life. This water could be some of the oldest on the planet and may even contain life. Not just that, but the similarity between the rocks that trapped it and those on Mars raises the hope that comparable life-sustaining water could lie buried beneath the Red Planet's surface.

Catching graphene butterflies: Dramatically changing electronic properties of world's thinnest material Posted: 15 May 2013 10:15 AM PDT A large international team of researchers has shown that when graphene placed on top of insulating boron nitride, or 'white graphene', the electronic properties of graphene change dramatically revealing a pattern resembling a butterfly. The pattern is referred to as the elusive Hofstadter butterfly that has been known in theory for many decades but never before observed in experiments.

No idle chatter: Malaria parasites 'talk' to each other Posted: 15 May 2013 09:50 AM PDT Scientists have made the surprise discovery that malaria parasites can 'talk' to each other -- a social behavior to ensure the parasite's survival and improve its chances of being transmitted to other humans. The finding could provide a niche for developing antimalarial drugs and vaccines that prevent or treat the disease by cutting these communication networks.

Human skin cells converted into embryonic stem cells: First time human stem cells have been produced via nuclear transfer Posted: 15 May 2013 09:50 AM PDT Scientists have successfully reprogrammed human skin cells to become embryonic stem cells capable of transforming into any other cell type in the body. It is believed that stem cell therapies hold the promise of replacing cells damaged through injury or illness. Diseases or conditions that might be treated through stem cell therapy include Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, cardiac disease and spinal cord injuries.

Novel brain training device to reconnect brain and paralyzed limb after stroke Posted: 15 May 2013 09:48 AM PDT The world's first Brain Training Device has given a ray of new hope to the recovery of survivors after stroke. This novel device can detect brainwave and control the movement of paralyzed limbs.

Friction in the nano-world: Physicists discover a new kind of friction Posted: 15 May 2013 08:38 AM PDT Whether in vehicle transmissions, hip replacements, or tiny sensors for triggering airbags: The respective components must slide against each other with minimum friction to prevent loss of energy and material wear. Investigating the friction behavior of nanosystems, scientists have discovered a previously unknown type of friction that sheds new light on some previously unexplainable phenomena.

Intestinal bacterium Akkermansia curbs obesity Posted: 15 May 2013 08:37 AM PDT A dominant and useful bacterium called Akkermansia muciniphila is present in the intestinal system of all humans, from babies to the elderly. This microorganism is found in the intestinal mucus layer that protects against intruders. Even more remarkable is that this bacterium has a favorable effect on the disrupted metabolism associated with obesity.

Untangling the tree of life Posted: 15 May 2013 06:48 AM PDT Phylogeneticists examined the reasons why large-scale tree-of-life studies are producing contradictory results and have proposed a suite of novel techniques to resolve the conflicts.

Political motivations may have evolutionary links to physical strength Posted: 15 May 2013 05:55 AM PDT Men's upper-body strength predicts their political opinions on economic redistribution, according to new research. The researchers collected data on bicep size, socioeconomic status, and support for economic redistribution from hundreds of people in the United States, Argentina, and Denmark. In line with their hypotheses, the data revealed that wealthy men with high upper-body strength were less likely to support redistribution of wealth, while less wealthy men of the same strength were more likely to support it.

Electronics comes to paper: Paper, being light and foldable, works well for electrically conducting structures Posted: 15 May 2013 05:52 AM PDT Paper, being a light and foldable raw material, is a cost-efficient and simple means of generating electrically conducting structures.

Orion's hidden fiery ribbon Posted: 15 May 2013 05:52 AM PDT A dramatic new image of cosmic clouds in the constellation of Orion reveals what seems to be a fiery ribbon in the sky. This orange glow represents faint light coming from grains of cold interstellar dust, at wavelengths too long for human eyes to see.

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