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Sunday, August 31, 2014

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News


The universal 'anger face': Each element makes you look physically stronger and more formidable

Posted: 28 Aug 2014 03:48 PM PDT

The next time you get really mad, take a look in the mirror. See the lowered brow, the thinned lips and the flared nostrils? That's what social scientists call the "anger face," and it appears to be part of our basic biology as humans. Now, researchers have identified the functional advantages that caused the specific appearance of the anger face to evolve.

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope witnesses asteroid smashup

Posted: 28 Aug 2014 02:01 PM PDT

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has spotted an eruption of dust around a young star, possibly the result of a smashup between large asteroids. This type of collision can eventually lead to the formation of planets.

Second-hand e-cig smoke compared to regular cigarette smoke

Posted: 28 Aug 2014 11:28 AM PDT

Second-hand e-cig smoke has 10 times less particulate matter than regular cigarette smoke; but higher levels of certain toxic metals, a new study finds.

Prehistoric migrations: DNA study unravels the settlement history of the New World Arctic

Posted: 28 Aug 2014 11:27 AM PDT

A new DNA study unravels the settlement history of the New World Arctic. We know people have lived in the New World Arctic for about 5,000 years. Archaeological evidence clearly shows that a variety of cultures survived the harsh climate in Alaska, Canada and Greenland for thousands of years. Despite this, there are several unanswered questions about these people.

Home is where the microbes are

Posted: 28 Aug 2014 11:27 AM PDT

A person's home is their castle, and they populate it with their own subjects: millions and millions of bacteria. Scientists have detailed the microbes that live in houses and apartments. The results shed light on the complicated interaction between humans and the microbes that live on and around us. Mounting evidence suggests that these microscopic, teeming communities play a role in human health and disease treatment and transmission.

New research reveals how wild rabbits were genetically transformed into tame rabbits

Posted: 28 Aug 2014 11:27 AM PDT

The genetic changes that transformed wild animals into domesticated forms have long been a mystery. An international team of scientists has now made a breakthrough by showing that many genes controlling the development of the brain and the nervous system were particularly important for rabbit domestication. The study gives answers to many genetic questions.

Electric current to brain boosts memory: May help treat memory disorders from stroke, Alzheimer's, brain injury

Posted: 28 Aug 2014 11:27 AM PDT

Stimulating a region in the brain via non-invasive delivery of electrical current using magnetic pulses, called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, improves memory. The discovery opens a new field of possibilities for treating memory impairments caused by conditions such as stroke, early-stage Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, cardiac arrest and the memory problems that occur in healthy aging.

Astronomy: Radio telescopes settle controversy over distance to Pleiades

Posted: 28 Aug 2014 11:27 AM PDT

A worldwide network of radio telescopes measured the distance to the famous star cluster the Pleiades to an accuracy within 1 percent. The result resolved a controversy raised by a satellite's measurement that now is shown to be wrong. The incorrect measurement had challenged standard models of star formation and evolution.

Genomic sequencing reveals mutations, insights into 2014 Ebola outbreak

Posted: 28 Aug 2014 11:27 AM PDT

In response to an ongoing, unprecedented outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa, a team of researchers has rapidly sequenced and analyzed more than 99 Ebola virus genomes. Their findings could have important implications for rapid field diagnostic tests.

Mystery solved: 'Sailing stones' of Death Valley seen in action for the first time

Posted: 28 Aug 2014 11:19 AM PDT

Racetrack Playa is home to an enduring Death Valley mystery. Littered across the surface of this dry lake, also called a "playa," are hundreds of rocks -- some weighing as much as 320 kilograms (700 pounds) -- that seem to have been dragged across the ground, leaving synchronized trails that can stretch for hundreds of meters.

Nanoscale assembly line: Nanoscale production line for assembly of biological molecules created

Posted: 28 Aug 2014 08:08 AM PDT

Researchers have realized a long-held dream: inspired by an industrial assembly line, they have developed a nanoscale production line for the assembly of biological molecules.

Paleontology: Oldest representative of a weird arthropod group

Posted: 28 Aug 2014 06:14 AM PDT

Biologists have assigned a number of 435-million-year-old fossils to a new genus of predatory arthropods. These animals lived in shallow marine habitats and were far less eye-catching than related forms found in Jurassic strata.

From nose to knee: Engineered cartilage regenerates joints

Posted: 28 Aug 2014 06:02 AM PDT

Human articular cartilage defects can be treated with nasal septum cells. Researchers now report that cells taken from the nasal septum are able to adapt to the environment of the knee joint and can thus repair articular cartilage defects. The nasal cartilage cells' ability to self-renew and adapt to the joint environment is associated with the expression of so-called HOX genes.

Walking fish reveal how our ancestors evolved onto land

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 10:15 AM PDT

About 400 million years ago a group of fish began exploring land and evolved into tetrapods – today's amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. But just how these ancient fish used their fishy bodies and fins in a terrestrial environment and what evolutionary processes were at play remain scientific mysteries.

Lifetime of fitness: Fountain of youth for bone, joint health?

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 09:26 AM PDT

Being physically active may significantly improve musculoskeletal and overall health, and minimize or delay the effects of aging. "An increasing amount of evidence demonstrates that we can modulate age-related decline in the musculoskeletal system," said the lead study author.. "A lot of the deterioration we see with aging can be attributed to a more sedentary lifestyle instead of aging itself."

Yellowstone supereruption would send ash across North America

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 09:26 AM PDT

In the unlikely event of a volcanic supereruption at Yellowstone National Park, the northern Rocky Mountains would be blanketed in meters of ash, and millimeters would be deposited as far away as New York City, Los Angeles and Miami, according to a new study.

Southwest U.S. may face 'megadrought' this century

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 09:25 AM PDT

Because of global warming, scientists say, the chances of the southwestern United States experiencing a decade long drought is at least 50 percent, and the chances of a "megadrought" -- one that lasts over 30 years -- ranges from 20 to 50 percent over the next century.

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