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Tuesday, March 4, 2014

ScienceDaily: Top Science News

ScienceDaily: Top Science News


Talking Neanderthals challenge the origins of speech

Posted: 02 Mar 2014 03:52 PM PST

We humans like to think of ourselves as unique for many reasons, not least of which being our ability to communicate with words. But ground-breaking research shows that our 'misunderstood cousins,' the Neanderthals, may well have spoken in languages not dissimilar to the ones we use today.

First glimpse of brain circuit that helps experience to shape perception

Posted: 02 Mar 2014 11:36 AM PST

How do our memories shape the way sensory information is collected? For the first time, scientists have demonstrated a way to observe how our experiences shape sensory information in awake animals. The team was able to measure the activity of a group of inhibitory neurons that links the odor-sensing area of the brain with brain areas responsible for thought and cognition. This connection provides feedback so that memories and experiences can alter the way smells are interpreted.

Newly discovered catalyst could lead to the low-cost production of clean methanol from carbon dioxide

Posted: 02 Mar 2014 11:36 AM PST

Scientists have discovered a potentially clean, low-cost way to convert carbon dioxide into methanol, a key ingredient in the production of plastics, adhesives and solvents, and a promising fuel for transportation. Scientists combined theory and experimentation to identify a new nickel-gallium catalyst that converts hydrogen and carbon dioxide into methanol with fewer side-products than the conventional catalyst.

European flood risk could double by 2050

Posted: 02 Mar 2014 11:36 AM PST

Losses from extreme floods in Europe could more than double by 2050, because of climate change and socioeconomic development. Understanding the risk posed by large-scale floods is of growing importance and will be key for managing climate adaptation.

Physicists solve 20-year-old debate surrounding glassy surfaces

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 09:13 AM PST

Physicists have succeeded in measuring how the surfaces of glassy materials flow like a liquid, even when they should be solid. A series of simple and elegant experiments were the solution to a problem that has been plaguing condensed matter physicists for the past 20 years.

Road map, dictionary for arthropod brain developed by neuroscientists

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 06:24 AM PST

In an unprecedented effort to standardize the anatomical nomenclature of insect brains, neuroscientists have helped create a road map for discoveries that will advance studies of human brain function and disease. Their work includes hundreds of images and 3-D video animations -- amounting to an invaluable resource that will enable neuroscientists to work more efficiently, compare their results and obtain more meaningful interpretations.

Novel blood screen reveals the risk of dying among healthy people

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 04:32 PM PST

A new screening technology reveals a signature of mortality in blood samples. Researchers have identified four biomarkers that help to identify people at high risk of dying from any disease within the next five years. Blood samples from over 17,000 generally healthy people were screened for more than a hundred different biomolecules. The health status of these study volunteers was followed for several years. The researchers looked for measures in the blood that could reflect who had died within the following 5 years after the blood sample was taken.

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