ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Dinosaurs with killer claws yield new theory about evolution of flight
• Alzheimer's drug candidate may be first to prevent disease progression, mouse study suggests
• Brain's failure to appreciate others may permit human atrocities
• Magnetic stimulation of brain may help some stroke patients recover
• Artichokes grow big in Texas
• Brain-heart link may explain sudden death in Rett syndrome
• How granular materials become solid: Discovery may be boon to engineers, manufacturers
• New eco-friendly foliar spray provides natural anti-freeze
• 'Supernova of a generation' shows its stuff: Astronomers determine how brightest and closest stellar explosion in 25 years happened
• Disaster looms for gas cloud falling into Milky Way's central black hole
• Heart drug may be effective for managing certain cancers, study suggests
• Cigarette and alcohol use at historic low among teens
• Ability to love takes root in earliest infancy
• New method for enhancing thermal conductivity could cool computer chips, lasers and other devices
• Human proteins that may fuel HIV/AIDS transmission identified
• Cascade lasers become three times more powerful
• Glow of recognition: New detectors could provide easy visual identification of toxins or pathogens
• Mercury releases into the atmosphere from ancient to modern times
• Pythons and people take turns as predators and prey
• Twisting molecules by brute force: A top-down approach
• New test could help track down and prosecute terrorists who use nerve gas and other agents
• Follow your nose: Compared to Neanderthals, modern humans have a better sense of smell
• Antioxidant has potential in the Alzheimer's fight
• Complex sex life of goats could have implications for wildlife management
• Increasing atmospheric concentrations of new flame retardants found
• Microbial contamination found in orange juice squeezed in bars and restaurants, Spanish study suggests
• Why buttercups reflect yellow on chins: Research sheds light on children’s game and provides insight into pollination
• Potential explanation for mechanisms of associative memory
• Healing serious bone injuries faster than ever before

Dinosaurs with killer claws yield new theory about evolution of flight Posted: 14 Dec 2011 02:15 PM PST New research has revealed how dinosaurs like Velociraptor and Deinonychus used their famous killer claws, leading to a new hypothesis on the evolution of flight in birds.

Alzheimer's drug candidate may be first to prevent disease progression, mouse study suggests Posted: 14 Dec 2011 01:21 PM PST A new drug candidate may be the first capable of halting the devastating mental decline of Alzheimer's disease, based on the findings of a new study.

Brain's failure to appreciate others may permit human atrocities Posted: 14 Dec 2011 01:21 PM PST It may be that a person can become callous enough to commit human atrocities because of a failure in the part of the brain that's critical for social interaction. A new study suggests this function may disengage when people encounter others they consider disgusting.

Magnetic stimulation of brain may help some stroke patients recover Posted: 14 Dec 2011 01:20 PM PST Imagine waking up and being unable to see or recognize anything on the left side of your body. This condition, called hemispatial neglect, is common after a stroke that occurs on the right side of the brain. The current treatment of attention and concentration training using computer and pencil-and-paper tasks is inadequate.

Artichokes grow big in Texas Posted: 14 Dec 2011 11:47 AM PST Marketable yield, yield components, quality, and phenolic compounds of artichoke heads were investigated in response to three irrigation regimes and four nitrogen rates under subsurface drip irrigation. Results showed that irrigation was more effective than N management for optimizing artichoke yield. Time of harvest had the largest effect on artichoke nutritional quality, followed by deficit irrigation. The study will help introduce artichoke cultural practices into commercial production in water-limited regions of the southern United States.

Brain-heart link may explain sudden death in Rett syndrome Posted: 14 Dec 2011 11:47 AM PST Poets might scoff at the notion that heart and brain are closely related, but scientists say a genetic defect that affects the brain can stop a heart. In a new study, researchers found that heart problems that occur in nearly 20 percent of children with Rett syndrome, a neurological disorder, originate because the Rett gene is lost in nerve cells -- not in heart muscle cells.

How granular materials become solid: Discovery may be boon to engineers, manufacturers Posted: 14 Dec 2011 10:58 AM PST What is it is that makes granular materials change from a flowing loose state to a "jammed," or solid, state? Researchers can now explain how granular materials are transformed when force is applied at a particular angle, a process known as shearing.

New eco-friendly foliar spray provides natural anti-freeze Posted: 14 Dec 2011 10:58 AM PST A new, biodegradable foliar/floral spray that increases plant resistance to both cold damage and cold mortality has been introduced to the commercial market. The spray improved cold tolerance by approximately 2°F to 9°F, depending on the variety of plant and the duration/ intensity of frost or freeze. Use of the non-toxic spray could add the equivalent of approximately 0.25 to almost 1.0 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone to the cold hardiness rating of plants.

'Supernova of a generation' shows its stuff: Astronomers determine how brightest and closest stellar explosion in 25 years happened Posted: 14 Dec 2011 10:57 AM PST It was the brightest and closest stellar explosion seen from Earth in 25 years, dazzling professional and backyard astronomers alike. Now, thanks to this rare discovery -- which some have called the "supernova of a generation" -- astronomers have the most detailed picture yet of how this kind of explosion happens.

Disaster looms for gas cloud falling into Milky Way's central black hole Posted: 14 Dec 2011 10:57 AM PST Astronomers have observed a cloud of gas several times the mass of Earth approaching the 4.3 million solar-mass black hole at the center of the Milky Way, and calculate that it will not survive the encounter. Astronomers calculate that by 2013, the cloud will be shredded and heated, emitting X-rays. The violent event provides a unique opportunity to record a black hole disruption until now only theorized.

Heart drug may be effective for managing certain cancers, study suggests Posted: 14 Dec 2011 10:00 AM PST Researchers have identified a new mechanism that could potentially explain why the body's immune system sometimes fails to eliminate cancer. The new findings shed light on the possible cause of immune resistance in cancer cells, and indicate that nitroglycerin, a relatively safe and low-cost drug used for more than a century to treat angina, may be effective for managing certain cancers.

Cigarette and alcohol use at historic low among teens Posted: 14 Dec 2011 09:59 AM PST Cigarette and alcohol use by eighth, 10th and 12th-graders are at their lowest point since the Monitoring the Future survey began polling teenagers in 1975, according to this year's survey results. However, this positive news is tempered by a slowing rate of decline in teen smoking as well as continued high rates of abuse of other tobacco products (e.g., hookahs, small cigars, smokeless tobacco), marijuana and prescription drugs.

Ability to love takes root in earliest infancy Posted: 14 Dec 2011 09:59 AM PST The ability to trust, love, and resolve conflict with loved ones starts in childhood -- way earlier than you may think. New research suggests that your relationship with your mother during the first 12 to 18 months of life predict your behavior in romantic relationships 20 years later.

New method for enhancing thermal conductivity could cool computer chips, lasers and other devices Posted: 14 Dec 2011 09:59 AM PST Engineers have discovered a surprising new way to increase a material's thermal conductivity that provides a new tool for managing thermal effects in computers, lasers and a number of other powered devices.

Human proteins that may fuel HIV/AIDS transmission identified Posted: 14 Dec 2011 09:58 AM PST Scientists have discovered new protein fragments in semen that enhance the ability of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, to infect new cells -- a discovery that one day could help curb the global spread of this deadly pathogen.

Cascade lasers become three times more powerful Posted: 14 Dec 2011 09:58 AM PST Cascade lasers are the newest generation of semiconductor lasers, currently only on the brink of commercialization. Scientists have developed technology to produce mid-infrared GaAs based cascade lasers with a three times stronger pulse than previous lasers. The new devices pave the way for promising industrial and medical applications.

Glow of recognition: New detectors could provide easy visual identification of toxins or pathogens Posted: 14 Dec 2011 07:29 AM PST Researchers have developed a new way of revealing the presence of specific chemicals -- whether toxins, disease markers, pathogens or explosives. The system visually signals the presence of a target chemical by emitting a fluorescent glow.

Mercury releases into the atmosphere from ancient to modern times Posted: 14 Dec 2011 07:28 AM PST In pursuit of riches and energy over the last 5,000 years, humans have released into the environment 385,000 tons of mercury, the source of numerous health concerns, according to a new study that challenges the idea that releases of the metal are on the decline.

Pythons and people take turns as predators and prey Posted: 14 Dec 2011 07:28 AM PST People and giant snakes not only target each other for food -- they also compete for the same prey, according to a new study.

Twisting molecules by brute force: A top-down approach Posted: 14 Dec 2011 07:28 AM PST Researchers have found they can use a macroscopic brute force to impose and induce a twist in an otherwise non-chiral molecule.

New test could help track down and prosecute terrorists who use nerve gas and other agents Posted: 14 Dec 2011 07:28 AM PST Scientists are reporting development of a first-of-its-kind technology that could help law enforcement officials trace the residues from terrorist attacks involving nerve gas and other chemical agents back to the companies or other sources where the perpetrators obtained ingredients for the agent. The technique could eventually help track down perpetrators of chemical attacks.

Follow your nose: Compared to Neanderthals, modern humans have a better sense of smell Posted: 14 Dec 2011 07:18 AM PST High-tech medical imaging techniques were recently used to access internal structures of fossil human skulls. Researchers used sophisticated 3-D methods to quantify the shape of the basal brain as reflected in the morphology of the skeletal cranial base. Their findings reveal that the human temporal lobes, involved in language, memory and social functions as well as the olfactory bulbs are relatively larger in Homo sapiens than in Neanderthals.

Antioxidant has potential in the Alzheimer's fight Posted: 14 Dec 2011 06:48 AM PST A new study has shown that an antioxidant can delay the onset of all the indicators of Alzheimer's disease, including cognitive decline. The researchers administered an antioxidant compound called MitoQ to mice genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer's.

Complex sex life of goats could have implications for wildlife management Posted: 14 Dec 2011 06:48 AM PST A new study of the mating habits of mountain goats reveals the vastly different strategies of males in different populations and could shed light on the unseen impacts of hunting.

Increasing atmospheric concentrations of new flame retardants found Posted: 14 Dec 2011 06:48 AM PST Compounds used in new flame-retardant products are showing up in the environment at increasing concentrations, according to a recent study.

Microbial contamination found in orange juice squeezed in bars and restaurants, Spanish study suggests Posted: 14 Dec 2011 06:46 AM PST Scientists have analyzed fresh orange juice squeezed by machines in catering establishments. They have confirmed that 43% of samples exceeded the acceptable enterobacteriaceae levels laid down by legislation. The researchers recommend that oranges are handled correctly, that juicers are washed properly and that the orange juice is served immediately rather than being stored in metal jugs.

Why buttercups reflect yellow on chins: Research sheds light on children’s game and provides insight into pollination Posted: 13 Dec 2011 05:33 PM PST Scientists have found that the distinctive glossiness of the buttercup flower, which children like to shine under the chin to test whether their friends like butter, is related to its unique anatomical structure.

Potential explanation for mechanisms of associative memory Posted: 13 Dec 2011 04:00 PM PST Researchers have discovered that a chemical compound in the brain can weaken the synaptic connections between neurons in a region of the brain important for the formation of long-term memories. The findings may also provide a potential explanation for the loss of memory associated with Alzheimer's.

Healing serious bone injuries faster than ever before Posted: 13 Dec 2011 06:21 AM PST A human-made package filled with nature's bone-building ingredients delivers the goods over time and space to heal serious bone injuries faster than products currently available, researchers have found.

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