ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Meet plants' and algae's common ancestor: Primitive organisms not always so simple, researcher says
• Geoscientists use numerical model to better forecast forces behind earthquakes
• Brain imaging differences evident at 6 months in high-risk infants who later develop autism
• Nanoparticles in food, vitamins could harm human health, researchers warn
• DNA nanorobot triggers targeted therapeutic responses
• New robots can continuously map their environment with low-cost camera
• Genes may travel from plant to plant to fuel evolution
• Fruit flies use alcohol as a drug to kill parasites
• Goat kids can develop accents
• Organic food sweetener may be a hidden source of dietary arsenic

Meet plants' and algae's common ancestor: Primitive organisms not always so simple, researcher says Posted: 17 Feb 2012 08:50 AM PST A biologist has created a sketch of what the first common ancestor of plants and algae may have looked like.

Geoscientists use numerical model to better forecast forces behind earthquakes Posted: 17 Feb 2012 07:10 AM PST Researchers have devised a numerical model to help explain the linkage between earthquakes and the powerful forces that cause them. Their findings hold implications for long-term forecasting of earthquakes.

Brain imaging differences evident at 6 months in high-risk infants who later develop autism Posted: 17 Feb 2012 07:10 AM PST A new study has found significant differences in brain development starting at age 6 months in high-risk infants who later develop autism, compared to high-risk infants who did not develop autism. The study also suggests that autism does not appear suddenly in young children, but instead develops over time during infancy, raising the possibility that scientists may be able to interrupt that process with targeted intervention.

Nanoparticles in food, vitamins could harm human health, researchers warn Posted: 16 Feb 2012 03:54 PM PST Billions of engineered nanoparticles in foods and pharmaceuticals are ingested by humans daily, and new study warns they may be more harmful to health than previously thought.

DNA nanorobot triggers targeted therapeutic responses Posted: 16 Feb 2012 11:42 AM PST A new robotic device made from DNA could potentially seek out specific cell targets and deliver important molecular instructions, such as telling cancer cells to self-destruct. Inspired by the mechanics of the body's own immune system, the technology represents a major breakthrough in the field of nanobiotechnology and might one day be used to program immune responses to treat various diseases.

New robots can continuously map their environment with low-cost camera Posted: 16 Feb 2012 10:41 AM PST Robots could one day navigate through constantly changing surroundings with virtually no input from humans, thanks to a system that allows them to build and continuously update a three-dimensional map of their environment using a low-cost camera such as Microsoft's Kinect.

Genes may travel from plant to plant to fuel evolution Posted: 16 Feb 2012 10:34 AM PST Evolutionary biologists have documented for the first time that plants pass genes from plant to plant to fuel their evolutionary development. The researchers found enzymes key to photosynthesis had been shared among plants with only a distant ancestral relationship. The genes were incorporated into the metabolic cycle of the recipient plant, aiding adaptation.

Fruit flies use alcohol as a drug to kill parasites Posted: 16 Feb 2012 10:34 AM PST Fruit flies infected with a blood-borne parasite consume alcohol to self-medicate, a behavior that greatly increases their survival rate, a new study finds. The researchers say the results are the first to show that alcohol consumption can have a protective effect against infectious disease, and in particular against blood-borne parasites. The data raises an important question: Could other organisms, perhaps even humans, control blood-borne parasites through high doses of alcohol?

Goat kids can develop accents Posted: 16 Feb 2012 06:50 AM PST The ability to change vocal sounds and develop an accent is potentially far more widespread in mammals than previously believed, according to new research on goats.

Organic food sweetener may be a hidden source of dietary arsenic Posted: 16 Feb 2012 06:49 AM PST As people seek healthier dietary regimens they often turn to things labeled "organic." Lurking in the background, however, is an ingredient that may be a hidden source of arsenic -- an element known to be both toxic and potentially carcinogenic. Organic brown rice syrup has become a preferred alternative to using high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener in food. Unfortunately, organic brown rice syrup is not without its faults. Researchers have previously called attention to the potential for consuming harmful levels of arsenic via rice, and organic brown rice syrup may be the latest culprit on the scene.

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