ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

---

• Rare fossilized embryos more than 500 million years old found
• Ancient 'spider' images reveal eye-opening secrets
• Mars: Gusev Crater once held a lake after all, scientist says
• Chips with olestra cause body toxins to dip, study finds
• Genetic circuits: Bacterial 'FM radio' created
• Study tests theory that life originated at deep sea vents
• Neanderthals were no strangers to good parenting
• Scale model WWII craft takes flight with fuel from the sea concept
• North America to experience total lunar eclipse
• New twist makes for better steel: Greater strength without loss of ductility
• Lipid levels during prenatal brain development impact autism, study shows
• How coughs and sneezes float much farther than you think
• Slowdown of global warming fleeting
• How common 'cat parasite' gets into human brain and influences human behavior

Rare fossilized embryos more than 500 million years old found Posted: 10 Apr 2014 09:22 AM PDT The Cambrian Period is a time when most phyla of marine invertebrates first appeared. Also dubbed the 'Cambrian explosion,' fossilized records from this time provide glimpses into evolutionary biology. Most fossils show the organisms' skeletal structure, which may give researchers accurate pictures of these prehistoric organisms. Now, researchers have found rare, fossilized embryos they believe were undiscovered previously. Their methods of study may help with future interpretation of evolutionary history.

Ancient 'spider' images reveal eye-opening secrets Posted: 10 Apr 2014 09:21 AM PDT Stunning images of a 305-million-year-old harvestman fossil reveal ancestors of the modern-day arachnids had two sets of eyes rather than one. The researchers say their findings add significant detail to the evolutionary story of this diverse and highly successful group of arthropods, which are found on every continent except Antarctica.

Mars: Gusev Crater once held a lake after all, scientist says Posted: 09 Apr 2014 12:57 PM PDT Evidence for an ancient 'Lake Gusev' on Mars has come and gone several times. That lake is looking pretty good today, thanks to new research. New research suggests floodwaters entered the crater through the huge valley that breaches Gusev's southern rim. These floods appear to have ponded long enough to alter the tephra, producing briny solutions. When the brines evaporated, they left behind residues of carbonate minerals. As the lake filled and dried, perhaps many times in succession, it loaded Comanche and its neighbor rocks with carbonates.

Chips with olestra cause body toxins to dip, study finds Posted: 09 Apr 2014 11:39 AM PDT A snack food ingredient called olestra has been found to speed up the removal of toxins in the body, according to a recent clinical trial. The trial demonstrated that olestra -- a zero-calorie fat substitute found in low-calorie snack foods such as Pringles -- could reduce the levels of serum polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in people who had been exposed to PCBs. High levels of PCBs in the body are associated with an increase in hypertension and diabetes.

Genetic circuits: Bacterial 'FM radio' created Posted: 09 Apr 2014 10:47 AM PDT A team of biologists and engineers has developed a 'rapid and tunable post-translational coupling' for genetic circuits.

Study tests theory that life originated at deep sea vents Posted: 09 Apr 2014 06:43 AM PDT One of the greatest mysteries facing humans is how life originated on Earth. Scientists have determined approximately when life began, roughly 3.8 billion years ago, but there is still intense debate about exactly how life began. One possibility -- that simple metabolic reactions emerged near ancient seafloor hot springs, enabling the leap from a non-living to a living world -- has grown in popularity in the last two decades.

Neanderthals were no strangers to good parenting Posted: 09 Apr 2014 06:39 AM PDT Archaeologists are challenging the traditional view that Neanderthal childhood was difficult, short and dangerous. A new and distinctive perspective suggests that Neanderthal children experienced strong emotional attachments with their immediate social group, used play to develop skills and played a significant role in their society.

Scale model WWII craft takes flight with fuel from the sea concept Posted: 09 Apr 2014 04:59 AM PDT Navy researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Materials Science and Technology Division, demonstrate proof-of-concept of novel NRL technologies developed for the recovery of carbon dioxide and hydrogen from seawater and conversion to a liquid hydrocarbon fuel.

North America to experience total lunar eclipse Posted: 08 Apr 2014 06:36 PM PDT When people in North America look up at the sky in the early morning hours of April 15, they can expect the moon to look a little different. A total lunar eclipse is expected at this time, a phenomenon that occurs when the Earth, moon and sun are in perfect alignment, blanketing the moon in the Earth's shadow.

New twist makes for better steel: Greater strength without loss of ductility Posted: 08 Apr 2014 12:44 PM PDT In steelmaking, two desirable qualities -- strength and ductility -- tend to be at odds: stronger steel is less ductile, and more ductile steel is not as strong. Engineers have now shown that pre-treating steel cylinders by twisting then can improve strength without sacrificing ductility.

Lipid levels during prenatal brain development impact autism, study shows Posted: 08 Apr 2014 10:50 AM PDT Abnormal levels of lipid molecules in the brain can affect the interaction between two key neural pathways in early prenatal brain development, which can trigger autism, researchers have found in a groundbreaking study. And, environmental causes such as exposure to chemicals in some cosmetics and common over-the-counter medication can affect the levels of these lipids, according to the researchers.

How coughs and sneezes float much farther than you think Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:21 AM PDT The next time you feel a sneeze coming on, raise your elbow to cover up that multiphase turbulent buoyant cloud you're about to expel. It turns out that smaller droplets that emerge in a cough or sneeze may travel five to 200 times further than they would if those droplets simply moved as groups of unconnected particles -- which is what previous estimates had assumed.

Slowdown of global warming fleeting Posted: 07 Apr 2014 08:33 AM PDT The recent slowdown in the warming rate of the Northern Hemisphere may be a result of internal variability of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation -- a natural phenomenon related to sea surface temperatures, according to researchers.

How common 'cat parasite' gets into human brain and influences human behavior Posted: 06 Dec 2012 05:32 PM PST Toxoplasma is a common 'cat parasite', and has previously been in the spotlight owing to its observed effect on risk-taking and other human behaviors. To some extent, it has also been associated with mental illness. A study led by researchers in Sweden now demonstrates for the first time how the parasite enters the brain to influence its host.

You are subscribed to email updates from Most Popular News -- ScienceDaily To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610