ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Scientists produce world's first magnetic soap
• Researchers develop gene therapy that could correct a common form of blindness
• Ancient domesticated dog skull found in Siberian cave: 33,000 years old
• Waiting for Death Valley's big bang: Volcanic explosion crater may have future potential
• Graphene 'invisible' to water: How the extreme thinness of graphene enables near-perfect wetting transparency
• Easier testing for diabetics? Biochip measures glucose in saliva, not blood
• Women report feeling pain more intensely than men, says study of electronic medical records
• Revisiting the 'Pillars of Creation'
• Worm seeks worm: Chemical cues drive aggregation in nematodes

Scientists produce world's first magnetic soap Posted: 23 Jan 2012 02:48 PM PST Scientists have developed a soap, composed of iron rich salts dissolved in water, that responds to a magnetic field when placed in solution. The soap's magnetic properties were shown to result from tiny iron-rich clumps that sit within the watery solution. The generation of this property in a fully functional soap could calm concerns over the use of soaps in oil-spill clean ups and revolutionize industrial cleaning products.

Researchers develop gene therapy that could correct a common form of blindness Posted: 23 Jan 2012 01:34 PM PST A new gene therapy has the potential to treat a common form of blindness that strikes both youngsters and adults. The technique works by replacing a malfunctioning gene in the eye with a normal working copy that supplies a protein necessary for light-sensitive cells in the eye to function. Several complex steps remain before the gene therapy technique can be used in humans, but once at that stage, it has great potential to change lives.

Ancient domesticated dog skull found in Siberian cave: 33,000 years old Posted: 23 Jan 2012 12:25 PM PST A 33,000-year-old dog skull unearthed in a Siberian mountain cave presents some of the oldest known evidence of dog domestication and indicates that modern dogs may be descended from multiple ancestors, with advancing glaciers thwarting early domestication efforts.

Waiting for Death Valley's big bang: Volcanic explosion crater may have future potential Posted: 23 Jan 2012 12:25 PM PST In California's Death Valley, death is looking just a bit closer. Geologists have determined that the half-mile-wide Ubehebe Crater, formed by a prehistoric volcanic explosion, was created far more recently than previously thought -- and that conditions for a sequel may exist today.

Graphene 'invisible' to water: How the extreme thinness of graphene enables near-perfect wetting transparency Posted: 23 Jan 2012 09:31 AM PST Graphene is the thinnest material known to science. The nanomaterial is so thin, in fact, water often doesn't even know it's there. Engineering researchers coated pieces of gold, copper, and silicon with a single layer of graphene, and then placed a drop of water on the coated surfaces. Surprisingly, the layer of graphene proved to have virtually no impact on the manner in which water spreads on the surfaces.

Easier testing for diabetics? Biochip measures glucose in saliva, not blood Posted: 23 Jan 2012 08:55 AM PST Engineers have designed a biological device that can measure glucose concentrations in human saliva. The technique could eliminate the need for diabetics to draw blood to check their glucose levels. The biochip uses plasmonic interferometers and could be used to measure a range of biological and environmental substances.

Women report feeling pain more intensely than men, says study of electronic medical records Posted: 23 Jan 2012 08:55 AM PST Women report more intense pain than men in virtually every disease category, according to researchers who mined a huge collection of electronic medical records to establish the broad gender difference to a high level of statistical significance.

Revisiting the 'Pillars of Creation' Posted: 18 Jan 2012 05:06 PM PST In 1995, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took an iconic image of the Eagle nebula, dubbed the "Pillars of Creation," highlighting its finger-like pillars where new stars are thought to be forming. Now, the Herschel Space Observatory has a new, expansive view of the region captured in longer-wavelength infrared light.

Worm seeks worm: Chemical cues drive aggregation in nematodes Posted: 12 Jan 2012 07:06 AM PST Scientists have long seen evidence of social behavior among many species of animals. Dolphins frolic together and lions live in packs. And, right under our feet, it appears that nematodes are having their own little gatherings in the soil. Until recently, it was unknown how the worms communicate to one another when it's time to come together. Now, researchers have identified, for the first time, the chemical signals that promote aggregation.

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