ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Dawn sees new surface features on giant asteroid Vesta
• Puzzling over links between monkey research and human health
• Monarch butterflies down again this year as decline continues
• Venice hasn't stopped sinking after all
• Discovery offers insight into treating viral stomach flu
• Autism risk gene linked to differences in brain structure
• Graphene: Potential for modelling cell membrane systems
• Graphene produced using microorganisms from an ordinary river
• Far higher potential for wind energy in India than previously estimated
• Quantum plasmons demonstrated in atomic-scale nanoparticles
• New test may predict the possibility of a heart attack
• Inhibitor causing male pattern baldness and target for hair-loss treatments identified
• Seeing movement: Why the world in our head stays still when we move our eyes
• How the alphabet of data processing is growing: Flying 'qubits' generated
• Computer model of spread of dementia can predict future disease patterns years before they occur in a patient
• Structure of ‘salvia’ receptor solved
• Age-old anesthesia question awakened
• Differences in brain function for children with math anxiety
• New evidence of harmfulness of second-hand smoke: Cancer causing agent present in gaseous phase of cigarette smoke
• Nanopower: Avoiding electrolyte failure in nanoscale lithum batteries
• 'Nanoslinky': A novel nanofluidic technology for DNA manipulation and measurement
• Drug target for stimulating recovery from stroke discovered
• Groundbreaking, waterless approach to microchip making
• Study on swirls to optimize contacts between fluids
• Warming Antarctic brings changes to penguin breeding cycles
• Study shines light on brain mechanism that controls reward enjoyment
• Trees may play role in electrifying the atmosphere, study suggests
• Mercury's surprising core and landscape curiosities
• Energy requirements make Antarctic fur seal pups vulnerable to climate change
• Dance like a neutrino: Quantum scheme to simulate neutrino oscillations
• Brain's involvement in processing depends on language's graphic symbols
• Sharp rise in cases of new strain of whooping cough in Australia
• Alzheimer’s disease spreads through linked nerve cells, brain imaging studies suggest
• How the smell of food affects how much you eat
• Vista stares deep into the cosmos: Treasure trove of new infrared data made available to astronomers
• Jellyfish inspires latest ocean-powered robot
• Contact with 'rivals' changes male behavior
• Dense breasts can nearly double the risk of breast cancer recurrence
• Colourful river crabs: Newly discovered and already threatened by mining project
• Have I got cancer or haven’t I? Medical staff confuse women with ductal carcinoma in situ
• New hope for treating Alzheimer's Disease: A Role for the FKBP52 protein
• Marijuana-like chemicals inhibit human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in late-state AIDS
• Why getting healthy can seem worse than getting sick
• Friendly-to-a-fault, yet tense: Personality traits traced in brain
• Camera peers around corners: New imaging system uses opaque walls, doors or floors as 'mirrors'

Dawn sees new surface features on giant asteroid Vesta Posted: 21 Mar 2012 05:47 PM PDT NASA's Dawn spacecraft has revealed unexpected details on the surface of the giant asteroid Vesta. New images and data highlight the diversity of Vesta's surface and reveal unusual geologic features, some of which were never previously seen on asteroids.

Puzzling over links between monkey research and human health Posted: 21 Mar 2012 02:22 PM PDT Studies in monkeys are unlikely to provide reliable evidence for links between social status and heart disease in humans, according to the first ever systematic review of the relevant research.

Monarch butterflies down again this year as decline continues Posted: 21 Mar 2012 02:22 PM PDT Unlike their colorful wings, the future of monarch butterflies may not be too bright and their numbers are expected to be alarmingly down again this year, says a researcher.

Venice hasn't stopped sinking after all Posted: 21 Mar 2012 02:22 PM PDT The water flowing through Venice's famous canals laps at buildings a little higher every year -- and not only because of a rising sea level. Although previous studies had found that Venice has stabilized, new measurements indicate that the historic city continues to slowly sink, and even to tilt slightly to the east.

Discovery offers insight into treating viral stomach flu Posted: 21 Mar 2012 12:26 PM PDT While researchers say that vaccines for intestinal infections are among the most difficult to develop, a recent discovery may provide the critical information needed for success. "Sometimes atomic structure gives us clues on how viruses work and how to make better vaccines," said one of the researchers.

Autism risk gene linked to differences in brain structure Posted: 21 Mar 2012 12:26 PM PDT Healthy individuals who carry a gene variation linked to an increased risk of autism have structural differences in their brains that may help explain how the gene affects brain function and increases vulnerability for autism.

Graphene: Potential for modelling cell membrane systems Posted: 21 Mar 2012 12:25 PM PDT Intriguing properties of graphene -— a single atomic-layer of carbon -— such as high electron mobility and fluorescence quenching are being exploited for biosensing and analysis of nucleotides, peptides, and proteins.

Graphene produced using microorganisms from an ordinary river Posted: 21 Mar 2012 12:25 PM PDT Scientists have synthesized graphene by reducing graphene oxide using microorganisms extracted from a local river.

Far higher potential for wind energy in India than previously estimated Posted: 21 Mar 2012 11:30 AM PDT A new assessment of wind energy in India has found that the potential for on-shore wind energy deployment is far higher than the official estimates -- about 20 times and up to 30 times greater than the current government estimate of 102 gigawatts. This landmark finding may have significant impact on India's renewable energy strategy as it attempts to cope with a massive and chronic shortage of electricity.

Quantum plasmons demonstrated in atomic-scale nanoparticles Posted: 21 Mar 2012 11:30 AM PDT Addressing a half-century-old question, engineers have conclusively determined how collective electron oscillations, called plasmons, behave in individual metal particles as small as just a few nanometers in diameter. This knowledge may open up new avenues in nanotechnology ranging from solar catalysis to biomedical therapeutics.

New test may predict the possibility of a heart attack Posted: 21 Mar 2012 11:30 AM PDT New findings from a landmark research study shows a promising new blood test may be useful in helping doctors predict who is at risk for an imminent heart attack.

Inhibitor causing male pattern baldness and target for hair-loss treatments identified Posted: 21 Mar 2012 11:30 AM PDT Researchers have identified an abnormal amount a protein called Prostaglandin D2 in the bald scalp of men with male pattern baldness, a discovery that may lead directly to new treatments for the most common cause of hair loss in men.

Seeing movement: Why the world in our head stays still when we move our eyes Posted: 21 Mar 2012 11:29 AM PDT When observing a fly buzzing around the room, we should have the impression that it is not the fly, but rather the space that lies behind it that is moving. After all, the fly is always fixed in our central point of view. But how does the brain convey the impression of a fly in motion in a motionless field? With the help of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scientists have identified two areas of the brain that compare the movements of the eye with the visual movements cast onto the retina so as to correctly perceive objects in motion.

How the alphabet of data processing is growing: Flying 'qubits' generated Posted: 21 Mar 2012 11:29 AM PDT The alphabet of data processing could include more elements than the "0" and "1" in future. Scientists have achieved a new kind of bit with single electrons, called quantum bits, or qubits. With them, considerably more than two states can be defined. So far, quantum bits have only existed in relatively large vacuum chambers. The team has now generated them in semiconductors. They have put an effect in practice, which the physicist Prof. Dr. Andreas Wieck had already theoretically predicted 22 years ago. This represents another step along the path to quantum computing.

Computer model of spread of dementia can predict future disease patterns years before they occur in a patient Posted: 21 Mar 2012 11:20 AM PDT Researchers have developed a computer program that has tracked the manner in which different forms of dementia spread within a human brain. They say their mathematical model can be used to predict where and approximately when an individual patient's brain will suffer from the spread, neuron to neuron, of "prion-like" toxic proteins -- a process they say underlies all forms of dementia.

Structure of ‘salvia’ receptor solved Posted: 21 Mar 2012 11:20 AM PDT A research team has determined the structure of the kappa-opioid receptor—site of action of the widely abused hallucinogen Salvia divinorum – solving longstanding scientific mysteries and offering new insights for treating drug addiction, chronic pain and depression.

Age-old anesthesia question awakened Posted: 21 Mar 2012 10:21 AM PDT Why does inhaling anesthetics cause unconsciousness? New insights into this century-and-a-half-old question may spring from new research.

Differences in brain function for children with math anxiety Posted: 21 Mar 2012 10:21 AM PDT Scientists have shown for the first time how brain function differs in people who have math anxiety from those who don't. A series of scans conducted while second- and third-grade students did addition and subtraction revealed that those who feel panicky about doing math had increased activity in brain regions associated with fear, which caused decreased activity in parts of the brain involved in problem-solving.

New evidence of harmfulness of second-hand smoke: Cancer causing agent present in gaseous phase of cigarette smoke Posted: 21 Mar 2012 10:21 AM PDT Scientists have shown that a key protein involved in cell function and regulation is stopped by a substance present in cigarette smoke. The authors found a cancer-causing agent called reactive oxygen species present in the gaseous phase of cigarette smoke that has the ability to inhibit normal cell function. Exposure to secondhand smoke impaired the function of the sodium pump, necessary for healthy cell regulation.

Nanopower: Avoiding electrolyte failure in nanoscale lithum batteries Posted: 21 Mar 2012 10:20 AM PDT It turns out you can be too thin -- especially if you're a nanoscale battery. Researchers have built a series of nanowire batteries to demonstrate that the thickness of the electrolyte layer can dramatically affect the performance of the battery, effectively setting a lower limit to the size of the tiny power sources.

'Nanoslinky': A novel nanofluidic technology for DNA manipulation and measurement Posted: 21 Mar 2012 10:18 AM PDT Researchers have developed their own version of the classic Slinky "walking down the stairs" scenario -- albeit 10 million times smaller -- as a novel technology for manipulating and measuring DNA molecules and other nanoscale materials.

Drug target for stimulating recovery from stroke discovered Posted: 21 Mar 2012 10:18 AM PDT Investigators have shown that removing a matched set of molecules that typically help to regulate the brain's capacity for forming and eliminating connections between nerve cells could substantially aid recovery from stroke even days after the event. In experiments with mice, the scientists demonstrated that when these molecules are not present, the mice's ability to recover from induced strokes improved significantly.

Groundbreaking, waterless approach to microchip making Posted: 21 Mar 2012 09:38 AM PDT The tiny, high-speed computer chips found in every modern electronic device bear little resemblance to their bulky, slow ancestors of decades ago. Different materials, new designs and new production techniques have ensured successive generations of integrated circuits offer ever more performance at lower cost.

Study on swirls to optimize contacts between fluids Posted: 21 Mar 2012 09:38 AM PDT Physicists who have studied the mixing between two incompatible fluids have found that it is possible to control the undercurrents of one circulating fluid to optimize its exposure to the other.

Warming Antarctic brings changes to penguin breeding cycles Posted: 21 Mar 2012 09:37 AM PDT Three penguin species that share the Western Antarctic Peninsula for breeding grounds have been affected in different ways by the higher temperatures brought on by global warming, according to new research.

Study shines light on brain mechanism that controls reward enjoyment Posted: 21 Mar 2012 09:37 AM PDT What characterizes many people with depression, schizophrenia and some other mental illnesses is anhedonia: an inability to gain pleasure from normally pleasurable experiences. Researchers have now manipulated brain wiring to identify inner workings of reward enjoyment.

Trees may play role in electrifying the atmosphere, study suggests Posted: 21 Mar 2012 07:55 AM PDT Plants have long been known as the lungs of the Earth, but a new finding has found they may also play a role in electrifying the atmosphere. Scientists have long-suspected an association between trees and electricity, but researchers in Australia think they may have finally discovered the link. The scientists ran experiments in six locations around Brisbane. They found the positive and negative ion concentrations in the air were twice as high in heavily wooded areas than in open grassy areas, such as parks.

Mercury's surprising core and landscape curiosities Posted: 21 Mar 2012 07:55 AM PDT Scientists have found that Mercury's core, already suspected to occupy a greater fraction of the planet's interior than do the cores of Earth, Venus, or Mars, is even larger than anticipated. They also discovered that the elevation ranges on Mercury are much smaller than on Mars or the Moon and indicates that there have been large-scale changes to Mercury's topography since early in the planet's geological history.

Energy requirements make Antarctic fur seal pups vulnerable to climate change Posted: 21 Mar 2012 07:55 AM PDT A new study has found that changing weather conditions can impact the metabolic rates of fur seal pups. Climate models predict windier and wetter conditions in Antarctica in the coming years, and that could cause young seals to assign more energy to thermoregulation, leaving less available for growth and development.

Dance like a neutrino: Quantum scheme to simulate neutrino oscillations Posted: 21 Mar 2012 07:53 AM PDT The behavior of some of the most elusive particles in the known universe can be simulated using three atoms in a lab, researchers say.

Brain's involvement in processing depends on language's graphic symbols Posted: 21 Mar 2012 07:53 AM PDT Readers whose mother tongue is Arabic have more challenges reading in Arabic than native Hebrew or English speakers have reading their native languages, because the two halves of the brain divide the labor differently when the brain processes Arabic than when it processes Hebrew or English, new research suggests.

Sharp rise in cases of new strain of whooping cough in Australia Posted: 21 Mar 2012 07:53 AM PDT Australia's prolonged whooping cough epidemic has entered a disturbing new phase, with a study showing a new strain or genotype may be responsible for the sharp rise in the number of cases.

Alzheimer’s disease spreads through linked nerve cells, brain imaging studies suggest Posted: 21 Mar 2012 07:51 AM PDT Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia may spread within nerve networks in the brain by moving directly between connected neurons, instead of in other ways proposed by scientists, such as by propagating in all directions, according to new research.

How the smell of food affects how much you eat Posted: 21 Mar 2012 06:41 AM PDT Bite size depends on the familiarly and texture of food. Smaller bite sizes are taken for foods which need more chewing and smaller bite sizes are often linked to a sensation of feeling fuller sooner. New research shows that strong aromas lead to smaller bite sizes and suggests that aroma may be used as a means to control portion size.

Vista stares deep into the cosmos: Treasure trove of new infrared data made available to astronomers Posted: 21 Mar 2012 06:41 AM PDT The European Southern Observatory's VISTA telescope has created the widest deep view of the sky ever made using infrared light. This new picture of an unremarkable patch of sky comes from the UltraVISTA survey and reveals more than 200 000 galaxies. It forms just one part of a huge collection of fully processed images from all the VISTA surveys that is now being made available by ESO to astronomers worldwide. UltraVISTA is a treasure trove that is being used to study distant galaxies in the early Universe as well as for many other science projects.

Jellyfish inspires latest ocean-powered robot Posted: 21 Mar 2012 06:41 AM PDT Researchers have created a robotic jellyfish, named Robojelly, which not only exhibits characteristics ideal to use in underwater search and rescue operations, but could, theoretically at least, never run out of energy thanks to it being fueled by hydrogen. Constructed from a set of smart materials, which have the ability to change shape or size as a result of a stimulus, and carbon nanotubes, Robojelly is able to mimic the natural movements of a jellyfish when placed in a water tank and is powered by chemical reactions taking place on its surface.

Contact with 'rivals' changes male behavior Posted: 21 Mar 2012 06:41 AM PDT Males consistently change their mating behavior depending on whether they have spent time with other males before mating, according to new findings.

Dense breasts can nearly double the risk of breast cancer recurrence Posted: 21 Mar 2012 06:41 AM PDT Women aged 50 and over with breasts that have a high percentage of dense tissue are at greater risk of their breast cancer recurring, according to Swedish research.

Colourful river crabs: Newly discovered and already threatened by mining project Posted: 21 Mar 2012 06:32 AM PDT Scientists have discovered four new species of the colorful Insulamon freshwater crab. But various mining projects on the island of Palawan pose a huge threat to these creatures.

Have I got cancer or haven’t I? Medical staff confuse women with ductal carcinoma in situ Posted: 21 Mar 2012 06:32 AM PDT Women diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) need clear communication and tailored support to enable them to understand this complex breast condition, which has divided the medical profession when it comes to its perception and prognosis, according to new research.

New hope for treating Alzheimer's Disease: A Role for the FKBP52 protein Posted: 20 Mar 2012 04:53 PM PDT New research in humans reveals that the so-called FKBP52 protein may prevent the Tau protein from turning pathogenic. This may prove significant for the development of new Alzheimer's drugs and for detecting the disease before the onset of clinical symptoms.

Marijuana-like chemicals inhibit human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in late-state AIDS Posted: 20 Mar 2012 04:52 PM PDT Marijuana-like chemicals trigger receptors on human immune cells that can directly inhibit a type of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) found in late-stage AIDS, research suggests.

Why getting healthy can seem worse than getting sick Posted: 20 Mar 2012 01:14 PM PDT A new article helps explain why the immune system often makes us worse while trying to make us well.

Friendly-to-a-fault, yet tense: Personality traits traced in brain Posted: 20 Mar 2012 11:19 AM PDT Friendly to a fault, yet tense? A personality profile marked by overly gregarious yet anxious behavior is rooted in abnormal development of a circuit hub buried deep in the front center of the brain. Brain scans pinpointed the suspect brain area in people with Williams syndrome. Matching the scans to their scores on a personality rating scale revealed that the temperament traits correlated with abnormalities in the brain structure, called the insula.

Camera peers around corners: New imaging system uses opaque walls, doors or floors as 'mirrors' Posted: 20 Mar 2012 11:19 AM PDT A new imaging system could use opaque walls, doors or floors as "mirrors" to gather information about scenes outside its line of sight.

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