ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Fossil of ancient multicellular life sets evolutionary timeline back 60 million years
• 'Skin-like' device monitors cardiovascular and skin health
• Bacterial 'communication system' could be used to stop, kill cancer cells, study finds
• New dinosaur from New Mexico has relatives in Alberta
• Brain scans reveal 'gray matter' differences in media multitaskers
• Most metal-poor star hints at universe's first supernovae
• Clear skies on exo-Neptune: Smallest exoplanet ever found to have water vapor
• Skin coloring of rhesus macaque monkeys linked to breeding success, new study shows
• New analysis of human genetic history reveals female dominance
• Nanotechnology leads to better, cheaper LEDs for phones and lighting
• False memories could be a side-effect of human ability to learn rules
• Most stars are born in clusters, some leave 'home'
• India's Mars Orbiter Spacecraft successfully inserted into orbit around Red Planet
• Skin cells can be engineered into pulmonary valves for pediatric patients
• Solar energy-driven process could revolutionize oil sands tailings reclamation
• Dying brain cells cue new brain cells to grow in songbird
• Insects' fear limits boost from climate change, study shows
• Chimpanzees raised as pets or performers suffer long-term effects on their behavior

Fossil of ancient multicellular life sets evolutionary timeline back 60 million years Posted: 24 Sep 2014 06:18 PM PDT Geobiologists shed new light on multicellular fossils from a time 60 million years before a vast growth spurt of life known as the Cambrian Explosion occurred on Earth.

'Skin-like' device monitors cardiovascular and skin health Posted: 24 Sep 2014 12:39 PM PDT A new wearable medical device can quickly alert a person if they are having cardiovascular trouble or if it's simply time to put on some skin moisturizer, researchers report. The small device, approximately five centimeters square, can be placed directly on the skin and worn 24/7 for around-the-clock health monitoring. The wireless technology uses thousands of tiny liquid crystals on a flexible substrate to sense heat. When the device turns color, the wearer knows something is awry.

Bacterial 'communication system' could be used to stop, kill cancer cells, study finds Posted: 24 Sep 2014 11:50 AM PDT A molecule used as a communication system by bacteria can be manipulated to prevent cancer cells from spreading, a study has demonstrated. "During an infection, bacteria release molecules which allow them to 'talk' to each other," said the lead author of the study. "Depending on the type of molecule released, the signal will tell other bacteria to multiply, escape the immune system or even stop spreading."

New dinosaur from New Mexico has relatives in Alberta Posted: 24 Sep 2014 11:49 AM PDT A newly discovered armored dinosaur from New Mexico has close ties to the dinosaurs of Alberta, say paleontologists. From 76 to 66 million years ago, Alberta was home to at least five species of ankylosaurid dinosaurs, the group that includes club-tailed giants like Ankylosaurus. But fewer ankylosaurids are known from the southern parts of North America. The new species, Ziapelta sanjuanensis, was discovered in 2011 in the Bisti/De-na-zin Wilderness area of New Mexico by a team from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and the State Museum of Pennsylvania.

Brain scans reveal 'gray matter' differences in media multitaskers Posted: 24 Sep 2014 11:49 AM PDT Simultaneously using mobile phones, laptops and other media devices could be changing the structure of our brains, according to new research. People who frequently use several media devices at the same time have lower grey-matter density in one particular region of the brain compared to those who use just one device occasionally.

Most metal-poor star hints at universe's first supernovae Posted: 24 Sep 2014 10:50 AM PDT In a new study, researchers point out that the elemental abundance of the most iron-poor star can be explained by elements ejected from supernova explosions of the universe's first stars. This reveals that massive stars, which are several tens of times more immense than the Sun, were present among the first stars.

Clear skies on exo-Neptune: Smallest exoplanet ever found to have water vapor Posted: 24 Sep 2014 10:50 AM PDT Astronomers have discovered clear skies and steamy water vapor on a planet outside our Solar System. The planet, known as HAT-P-11b, is about the size of Neptune, making it the smallest exoplanet ever on which water vapor has been detected.

Skin coloring of rhesus macaque monkeys linked to breeding success, new study shows Posted: 24 Sep 2014 08:37 AM PDT Skin color displayed amongst one species of monkey provides a key indicator of how successfully they will breed, a new study has shown. The collaborative international research also shows that skin coloration in male and female rhesus macaques is an inherited quality -- the first example of heritability for a sexually-selected trait to be described in any mammal.

New analysis of human genetic history reveals female dominance Posted: 24 Sep 2014 08:37 AM PDT Female populations have been larger than male populations throughout human history, according to new research. The research used a new technique to obtain higher quality paternal genetic information to analyze the demographic history of males and females in worldwide populations.

Nanotechnology leads to better, cheaper LEDs for phones and lighting Posted: 24 Sep 2014 08:35 AM PDT Using a new nanoscale structure, electrical engineers have increased the brightness and efficiency of LEDs made of organic materials -- flexible carbon-based sheets -- by 57 percent. The researchers also report their method should yield similar improvements in LEDs made in inorganic, silicon-based materials used most commonly today.

False memories could be a side-effect of human ability to learn rules Posted: 24 Sep 2014 08:30 AM PDT Our tendency to create false memories could be related to our ability to learn rules according to new research. New research suggests that individuals who are particularly good at learning rules and classifying objects by common properties are also particularly prone to false memory illusions.

Most stars are born in clusters, some leave 'home' Posted: 24 Sep 2014 08:26 AM PDT New modeling studies demonstrate that most of the stars we see were formed when unstable clusters of newly formed protostars broke up. These protostars are born out of rotating clouds of dust and gas, which act as nurseries for star formation. Rare clusters of multiple protostars remain stable and mature into multi-star systems. The unstable ones will eject stars until they achieve stability and end up as single or binary stars.

India's Mars Orbiter Spacecraft successfully inserted into orbit around Red Planet Posted: 24 Sep 2014 07:25 AM PDT India's Mars Orbiter Spacecraft successfully entered into an orbit around the planet Mars this morning (Sept. 24, 2014) by firing its 440 Newton Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) along with eight smaller liquid engines. In the coming weeks, the spacecraft will be thoroughly tested in Mars orbit and the systematic observation of the planet using the spacecraft's five scientific instruments is expected to begin.

Skin cells can be engineered into pulmonary valves for pediatric patients Posted: 24 Sep 2014 05:48 AM PDT Researchers have found a way to take a pediatric patient's skin cells, reprogram the skin cells to function as heart valvular cells, and then use the cells as part of a tissue-engineered pulmonary valve. A proof of concept study provides more detail on this scientific development. This study is the first step toward demonstrating the feasibility of creating a patient-specific pulmonary valve that contains live cells from the patient, researchers say.

Solar energy-driven process could revolutionize oil sands tailings reclamation Posted: 23 Sep 2014 03:21 PM PDT A civil engineering research team has developed a new way to clean oil sands process affected water and reclaim tailings ponds in Alberta's oil sands industry. Using sunlight as a renewable energy source instead of UV lamps, and adding chlorine to the tailings, oil sands process affected water is decontaminated and detoxified -- immediately.

Dying brain cells cue new brain cells to grow in songbird Posted: 23 Sep 2014 03:20 PM PDT Using a songbird as a model, scientists have described a brain pathway that replaces cells that have been lost naturally and not because of injury. If scientists can further tap into the process, it might lead to ways to encourage replacement of cells in human brains that have lost neurons naturally because of aging or Alzheimer's disease.

Insects' fear limits boost from climate change, study shows Posted: 23 Sep 2014 11:27 AM PDT Scientists often measure the effects of temperature on insects to predict how climate change will affect their distribution and abundance, but a new study shows, for the first time, that insects' fear of their predators, in addition to temperature, ultimately limits how fast they grow.

Chimpanzees raised as pets or performers suffer long-term effects on their behavior Posted: 23 Sep 2014 06:02 AM PDT Although the immediate welfare consequences of removing infant chimpanzees from their mothers are well documented, little is known about the long-term impacts of this type of early life experience. In a year-long study, scientists observed 60 chimpanzees and concluded that those who were removed from their mothers early in life and raised by humans as pets or performers are likely to show behavioral and social deficiencies as adults.

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