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Tuesday, December 20, 2011

ScienceDaily: Top Science News

ScienceDaily: Top Science News


A major step forward towards drought tolerance in crops

Posted: 19 Dec 2011 12:25 PM PST

When a plant encounters drought, it does its best to cope with this stress by activating a set of protein molecules called receptors. Plant cell biologists have discovered how to rewire this cellular machinery to heighten the plants' stress response -- a finding that can be used to engineer crops to give them a better shot at surviving and displaying increased yield under drought conditions.

New kind of metal in the deep Earth: Iron oxide undergoes transition under intense pressures and temperatures

Posted: 19 Dec 2011 08:22 AM PST

The intense pressures and temperatures in Earth's deep interior squeeze atoms and electrons so close they interact differently. New experiments and supercomputer computations have revealed that iron oxide undergoes a new kind of transition under deep Earth conditions. It is a component of the second most abundant mineral at Earth's lower mantle, ferropericlase. The finding could alter our understanding of deep Earth dynamics and the behavior of the protective magnetic field, which shields our planet.

Living 'neon signs' composed of millions of glowing bacteria

Posted: 19 Dec 2011 07:22 AM PST

In an example of life imitating art, biologists and bioengineers have created a living neon sign composed of millions of bacterial cells that periodically fluoresce in unison like blinking light bulbs.

Plant-eating dinosaur discovered in Antarctica

Posted: 19 Dec 2011 07:20 AM PST

For the first time, the presence of large bodied herbivorous dinosaurs in Antarctica has been recorded. Until now, remains of sauropoda had been recovered from all continental landmasses, except Antarctica. The identification of the remains of the sauropod dinosaur suggests that advanced titanosaurs achieved a global distribution at least by the Late Cretaceous.

Ultra-compact dwarf galaxies are bright star clusters

Posted: 19 Dec 2011 07:20 AM PST

A new statistical study sheds light on the so-called 'ultra-compact dwarf galaxies' (UCDs). A team of astronomers has investigated how many of these UCDs exist in nearby galaxy clusters and groups. They show that the properties of UCDs match those of bright star clusters.

Link between earthquakes and tropical cyclones: New study may help scientists identify regions at high risk for earthquakes

Posted: 08 Dec 2011 09:10 AM PST

A groundbreaking study shows that earthquakes, including the recent 2010 temblors in Haiti and Taiwan, may be triggered by tropical cyclones.

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