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Friday, August 16, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Science News

ScienceDaily: Top Science News


New approach assembles big structures from small interlocking pieces

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 11:51 AM PDT

Researchers invent a new approach to assembling big structures -- even airplanes and bridges -- out of small interlocking composite components.

Slow earthquakes may foretell larger events

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 11:51 AM PDT

Monitoring slow earthquakes may provide a basis for reliable prediction in areas where slow quakes trigger normal earthquakes, according to geoscientists.

Heart's own stem cells offer hope for new treatment of heart failure

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 11:51 AM PDT

Researchers have for the first time highlighted the natural regenerative capacity of a group of stem cells that reside in the heart.

New possibilities for efficient biofuel production

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 11:50 AM PDT

Limited availability of fossil fuels stimulates the search for different energy resources. The use of biofuels is one of the alternatives. Sugars derived from the grain of agricultural crops can be used to produce biofuel but these crops occupy fertile soils needed for food and feed production.

New species of carnivore looks like a cross between a house cat and a teddy bear

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 11:31 AM PDT

Observed in the wild, tucked away in museum collections, and even exhibited in zoos around the world -- there is one mysterious creature that has been a victim of mistaken identity for more than 100 years. A team of Smithsonian scientists, however, uncovered overlooked museum specimens of this remarkable animal, which took them on a journey from museum cabinets in Chicago to cloud forests in South America to genetics labs in Washington, D.C. The result: the olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina) -- the first carnivore species to be discovered in the American continents in 35 years.

Voyager 1 has left the solar system

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 10:37 AM PDT

Voyager 1 appears to have at long last left our solar system and entered interstellar space, says a University of Maryland-led team of researchers. Their model indicates Voyager 1 actually entered interstellar space a little more than a year ago, a finding directly counter to recent articles suggesting the spacecraft was still in a fuzzily-defined transition zone between the Sun's sphere of influence and the rest of the galaxy.

Cosmic turbulences result in star and black hole formation

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 10:37 AM PDT

Just how stars and black holes in the Universe are able to form from rotating matter is one of the big questions of astrophysics. Now, physicists show how magnetic fields can also cause turbulences within "dead zones," thus making an important contribution to our current understanding of just how compact objects form in the cosmos.

More than 28 cups of coffee a week may endanger health in under 55s

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 10:34 AM PDT

Drinking large amounts of coffee may be bad for under 55 year olds. A study of more than 40,000 individuals found a statistically significant 21 percent increased mortality in those drinking more than 28 cups of coffee a week and death from all causes, with a greater than 50 percent increased mortality risk in both men and women younger than 55 years of age. Investigators warn that younger people in particular may need to avoid heavy coffee consumption.

Beneficial jumping gene discovered

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 08:37 AM PDT

Also referred to as jumping genes, transposons are snippets of "selfish DNA" that spread in their host genomes serving no other biological purpose but their own existence. Two geneticists now challenge that understanding. Working on the model plant Arabidopsis, they found that the COPIA-R7 transposon, which has jumped into the plant disease resistance gene RPP7, enhances the immunity of its host against a pathogenic microorganism.

Huge owls need huge trees

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 08:33 AM PDT

The world's largest owl – and one of the rarest – is also a key indicator of the health of some of old-growth Russian forests.

Dragonflies can see by switching 'on' and 'off'

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 07:48 AM PDT

Biologists have discovered a novel and complex visual circuit in a dragonfly's brain that could one day help to improve vision systems for robots.

Heat waves to become much more frequent and severe

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 05:48 AM PDT

Climate change is set to trigger more frequent and severe heat waves in the next 30 years regardless of the amount of carbon dioxide we emit into the atmosphere, a new study has shown.

Quantum teleportation: Transfer of flying quantum bits at the touch of a button

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 05:44 AM PDT

Hybrid technology makes possible highly reliable transmission of photonic qubits.

Galaxies had 'mature' shapes 11. 5 billion years ago

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 05:39 AM PDT

Astronomers have established that mature-looking galaxies existed much earlier than previously known, about 11.5 billion years ago.

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