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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

ScienceDaily: Top Science News

ScienceDaily: Top Science News

Patterns in sand dunes explained

Posted: 06 Feb 2012 02:43 PM PST

In a study of the harsh but beautiful White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, researchers have uncovered a unifying mechanism to explain dune patterns. The new work represents a contribution to basic science, but the findings may also hold implications for identifying when dune landscapes like those in Nebraska's Sand Hills may reach a "tipping point" under climate change, going from valuable grazing land to barren desert.

Fossil cricket reveals Jurassic love song

Posted: 06 Feb 2012 12:41 PM PST

The love song of an extinct cricket that lived 165 million years ago has been brought back to life by scientists. The song – possibly the most ancient known musical song documented to date – was reconstructed from microscopic wing features on a fossil discovered in North East China. It allows us to listen to one of the sounds that would have been heard by dinosaurs and other creatures roaming Jurassic forests at night.

Engineers weld nanowires with light

Posted: 06 Feb 2012 06:26 AM PST

At the nano level, researchers have discovered a new way to weld together meshes of tiny wires. Their work could lead to exciting new electronics and solar applications. To succeed, they called upon plasmonics.

Global extinction: Gradual doom is just as bad as abrupt

Posted: 03 Feb 2012 08:33 AM PST

Around 250 million years ago, most life on Earth was wiped out in an extinction known as the "Great Dying." Geologists have learned that the end came slowly from thousands of centuries of volcanic activity.

Alzheimer's disease may spread by 'jumping' from one brain region to another

Posted: 01 Feb 2012 02:32 PM PST

For decades, researchers have debated whether Alzheimer's disease starts independently in vulnerable brain regions at different times, or if it begins in one region and then spreads to neuroanatomically connected areas. A new study strongly supports the latter, demonstrating that abnormal tau protein, a key feature of the neurofibrillary tangles seen in the brains of those with Alzheimer's, propagates along linked brain circuits, "jumping" from neuron to neuron.

Just another pretty face: New insight into neural basis of prosopagnosia

Posted: 01 Feb 2012 09:07 AM PST

There is definitely more than meets the eye where faces are concerned. Researchers are investigating the process of facial recognition, seeking to understand the complexity of what is actually taking place in the brain when one person looks at another. The studies target people who display an inability to recognize faces, a condition long known as prosopagnosia. The research is aimed at trying to understand the neural basis of the condition while also make inferences about what is going wrong in terms of information processing -- where in the stages that our brains go through to recognize a face is the system breaking down. A new paper details the most recent experimental results.

Genes linked to cancer could be easier to detect with liquid lasers

Posted: 31 Jan 2012 02:18 PM PST

Using a liquid laser, researchers have developed a better way to detect the slight genetic mutations that might predispose a person to a particular type of cancer or other diseases.

Key peptides that could lead to universal vaccine for influenza identified

Posted: 31 Jan 2012 06:27 AM PST

Researchers have identified key peptides that could lead to a universal vaccine for influenza and would activate alternative mechanisms of the immune system. They have discovered a series of peptides, found on the internal structures of influenza viruses that could lead to the development of a universal vaccine for influenza, one that gives people immunity against all strains of the disease, including seasonal, avian, and swine flu.
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