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Thursday, November 28, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Science News

ScienceDaily: Top Science News


Fast, furious, refined: Smaller black holes can eat plenty

Posted: 27 Nov 2013 02:04 PM PST

Gemini observations support an unexpected discovery in the galaxy Messier 101. A relatively small black hole (20-30 times the mass of our sun) can sustain a hugely voracious appetite while consuming material in an efficient and tidy manner -- something previously thought impossible. The research also affects the long quest for elusive intermediate-mass black holes.

Pills of the future: Nanoparticles; Researchers design drug-carrying nanoparticles that can be taken orally

Posted: 27 Nov 2013 02:04 PM PST

Drugs delivered by nanoparticles hold promise for targeted treatment of many diseases, including cancer. However, the particles have to be injected into patients, which has limited their usefulness so far. Now, researchers have developed a new type of nanoparticle that can be delivered orally and absorbed through the digestive tract, allowing patients to simply take a pill instead of receiving injections.

Making a gem of a tiny crystal: Slowly cooled DNA transforms disordered nanoparticles into orderly crystal

Posted: 27 Nov 2013 10:18 AM PST

Nature builds flawless diamonds, sapphires and other gems. Now researchers have built near-perfect single crystals out of nanoparticles and DNA, using the same structure favored by nature. The researchers developed a "recipe" for using nanomaterials as atoms, DNA as bonds and a little heat to form tiny crystals.

Cryptic new species of wild cat identified in Brazil

Posted: 27 Nov 2013 09:24 AM PST

Biologists have identified a cryptic new species of wild cat living in Brazil. The discovery is a reminder of just how little scientists still know about the natural world, even when it comes to such charismatic creatures. The findings also have important conservation implications for the cats, the researchers say.

Big brains are all in the genes

Posted: 27 Nov 2013 08:53 AM PST

Scientists have moved a step closer to understanding genetic changes that permitted humans and other mammals to develop such big brains.

Figure eights and peanut shells: How stars move at the center of the galaxy

Posted: 27 Nov 2013 08:03 AM PST

Two months ago astronomers created a new 3-D map of stars at the center of our Galaxy (the Milky Way), showing more clearly than ever the bulge at its core. Previous explanations suggested that the stars that form the bulge are in banana-like orbits, but a new article suggests that the stars probably move in peanut-shell or figure of eight-shaped orbits instead.

Fiery drama of star birth, death

Posted: 27 Nov 2013 08:01 AM PST

The Large Magellanic Cloud is one of the closest galaxies to our own. Astronomers have now used the power of ESO's Very Large Telescope to explore one of its lesser known regions. This new image shows clouds of gas and dust where hot new stars are being born and are sculpting their surroundings into odd shapes. But the image also shows the effects of stellar death — filaments created by a supernova explosion.

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