ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Interactive dark matter could explain Milky Way's missing satellite galaxies
• Rapid and durable protection against Ebola virus with new vaccine regimens
• Biologists delay the aging process by 'remote control'
• In one of nature's innovations, a single cell smashes and rebuilds its own genome
• Textbook theory behind volcanoes may be wrong
• Study traces ecological collapse over 6,000 years of Egyptian history
• Paleontologists discover new species of titanosaurian dinosaur in Tanzania
• How conversion of forests to cropland affects climate
• Coral trout pick their collaborators carefully
• Evidence of 'diving' tectonic plates on Jupiter's moon Europa
• Planet forming around star about 335 light years from Earth
• Researchers part water: 'electric prism' separates water's nuclear spin states
• Bacteria from bees possible alternative to antibiotics
• Sleeping on animal fur in infancy found to reduce risk of asthma
• Taking short walking breaks found to reverse negative effects of prolonged sitting
• Father's smoking prior to conception could increase asthma risk for baby
• Brain mechanism underlying recognition of hand gestures develops even when blind

Interactive dark matter could explain Milky Way's missing satellite galaxies Posted: 08 Sep 2014 05:46 PM PDT Scientists believe they have found a way to explain why there are not as many galaxies orbiting the Milky Way as expected. Computer simulations of the formation of our galaxy suggest that there should be many more small galaxies around the Milky Way than are observed through telescopes. This has thrown doubt on the generally accepted theory of cold dark matter, an invisible and mysterious substance that scientists predict should allow for more galaxy formation around the Milky Way than is seen. Now cosmologists think they have found a potential solution to the problem.

Rapid and durable protection against Ebola virus with new vaccine regimens Posted: 08 Sep 2014 12:29 PM PDT One shot of an experimental vaccine made from two Ebola virus gene segments incorporated into a chimpanzee cold virus vector, called chimp adenovirus type 3 or ChAd3, protected all four macaque monkeys exposed to high levels of Ebola virus 5 weeks after inoculation, report scientists.

Biologists delay the aging process by 'remote control' Posted: 08 Sep 2014 12:29 PM PDT Biologists have identified a gene that can slow the aging process when activated remotely in key organ systems. The life scientists, working with fruit flies, activated a gene called AMPK that is a key energy sensor in cells. Increasing AMPK in the intestine increased the fly's life by about 30 percent, and the fly stayed healthier longer as well. The research could have important implications for delaying aging and disease in humans.

In one of nature's innovations, a single cell smashes and rebuilds its own genome Posted: 08 Sep 2014 12:29 PM PDT A pond-dwelling, single-celled organism has the remarkable ability to break its own DNA into nearly a quarter-million pieces and rapidly reassemble those pieces when it's time to mate. This elaborate process could provide a template for understanding how chromosomes in more complex animals such as humans break apart and reassemble, as can happen during the onset of cancer.

Textbook theory behind volcanoes may be wrong Posted: 08 Sep 2014 12:29 PM PDT In the typical textbook picture, volcanoes, such as those that are forming the Hawaiian islands, erupt when magma gushes out as narrow jets from deep inside Earth. But that picture is wrong, according to a new study from researchers who conclude that seismology data are now confirming that such narrow jets don't actually exist.

Study traces ecological collapse over 6,000 years of Egyptian history Posted: 08 Sep 2014 12:29 PM PDT Depictions of animals in ancient Egyptian artifacts have helped scientists assemble a detailed record of the large mammals that lived in the Nile Valley over the past 6,000 years. A new analysis of this record shows that species extinctions, probably caused by a drying climate and growing human population in the region, have made the ecosystem progressively less stable.

Paleontologists discover new species of titanosaurian dinosaur in Tanzania Posted: 08 Sep 2014 11:35 AM PDT Paleontologists have identified a new species of titanosaurian, a member of the large-bodied sauropods that thrived during the final period of the dinosaur age, in Tanzania. Although many fossils of titanosaurians have been discovered around the globe, especially in South America, few have been recovered from the continent of Africa.

How conversion of forests to cropland affects climate Posted: 08 Sep 2014 10:54 AM PDT The conversion of forests into cropland worldwide has triggered an atmospheric change to emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds that -- while seldom considered in climate models -- has had a net cooling effect on global temperatures, according to a new study.

Coral trout pick their collaborators carefully Posted: 08 Sep 2014 10:53 AM PDT Coral trout not only work with moray eels to improve their chances of a meal, but they can also be choosy when it comes to picking the best moray partner. The findings show that such sophisticated collaborative abilities are not limited to apes and humans. The fish's behavior is remarkable in other ways too, the researchers say.

Evidence of 'diving' tectonic plates on Jupiter's moon Europa Posted: 08 Sep 2014 09:22 AM PDT Scientists have found evidence of plate tectonics on Jupiter's moon Europa. This indicates the first sign of this type of surface-shifting geological activity on a world other than Earth. "Europa may be more Earth-like than we imagined, if it has a global plate tectonic system," said one of the researchers.

Planet forming around star about 335 light years from Earth Posted: 08 Sep 2014 09:15 AM PDT Scientists have discovered what they believe is evidence of a planet forming around a star about 335 light years from Earth. Astronomers set out to study the protoplanetary disk around a star known as HD 100546, and as sometimes happens in scientific inquiry, it was by "chance" that they stumbled upon the formation of the planet orbiting this star.

Researchers part water: 'electric prism' separates water's nuclear spin states Posted: 08 Sep 2014 09:10 AM PDT Using an 'electric prism,' scientists have found a new way of separating water molecules that differ only in their nuclear spin states and, under normal conditions, do not part ways. Since water is such a fundamental molecule in the universe, the recent study may impact a multitude of research areas ranging from biology to astrophysics.

Bacteria from bees possible alternative to antibiotics Posted: 08 Sep 2014 06:37 AM PDT Thirteen lactic acid bacteria found in the honey stomach of bees have shown promising results in a series of studies. The group of bacteria counteracted antibiotic-resistant MRSA in lab experiments. The bacteria, mixed into honey, has healed horses with persistent wounds. The formula has previously been shown to protect against bee colony collapse.

Sleeping on animal fur in infancy found to reduce risk of asthma Posted: 08 Sep 2014 05:37 AM PDT Sleeping on animal fur in the first three months of life might reduce the risk of asthma in later childhood a new study has found. The chance of having asthma at the age of 6 years was 79% lower in children who had slept on animal skin after birth compared with those who were not exposed to animal skin. The risk decreased to 41% by the age of 10.

Taking short walking breaks found to reverse negative effects of prolonged sitting Posted: 08 Sep 2014 05:37 AM PDT Three easy -- one could even say slow -- 5-minute walks can reverse harm caused to leg arteries during three hours of prolonged sitting, researchers report. Sitting for long periods of time is associated with risk factors such as higher cholesterol levels and greater waist circumference that can lead to cardiovascular and metabolic disease. When people sit, slack muscles do not contract to effectively pump blood to the heart. Blood can pool in the legs and affect the endothelial function of arteries, or the ability of blood vessels to expand from increased blood flow.

Father's smoking prior to conception could increase asthma risk for baby Posted: 08 Sep 2014 05:37 AM PDT A baby has a greater risk of asthma if his or her father smoked prior to conception, research shows. The study is the first in humans to analyze the link between a father's smoking habits before conception and a child's asthma. The findings add to growing evidence from animal studies which suggest that the father's exposures before parenthood can harm his child.

Brain mechanism underlying recognition of hand gestures develops even when blind Posted: 05 Sep 2014 08:39 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that activated brain regions of congenitally blind individuals and activated brain regions of sighted individuals share common regions when recognizing human hand gestures. They indicated that a region of the neural network that recognizes others' hand gestures is formed in the same way even without visual information.

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