ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Chimpanzees have police officers, too
• Genetic survey of endangered Antarctic blue whales shows surprising diversity
• Teaching fat cells to burn calories: New target against obesity involves brown fat
• Communication technologies including smartphones and laptops could now be 1,000 times faster, new study suggests
• Nasty people in the media prime the brain for aggression
• First spectroscopic measurement of an anti-atom
• New species of deep-sea catshark described from the Galapagos
• Researchers capture first-ever image of two atoms forming a molecule
• What have we got in common with a gorilla? Insight into human evolution from gorilla genome sequence
• Self-centered kids? Blame their immature brains
• Nanotrees harvest the sun's energy to turn water into hydrogen fuel
• Galaxies get up close and personal: Collisions in young galaxy cluster
• Sperm can do 'calculus' to calculate calcium dynamics and react accordingly
• Elusive Higgs boson may nearly be cornered

Chimpanzees have police officers, too Posted: 07 Mar 2012 03:50 PM PST Chimpanzees are interested in social cohesion and have various strategies to guarantee the stability of their group. Anthropologists now reveal that chimpanzees mediate conflicts between other group members, not for their own direct benefit, but rather to preserve the peace within the group. Their impartial intervention in a conflict -- so-called "policing" -- can be regarded as an early evolutionary form of moral behavior.

Genetic survey of endangered Antarctic blue whales shows surprising diversity Posted: 07 Mar 2012 03:49 PM PST More than 99 percent of Antarctic blue whales were killed by commercial whalers during the 20th century, but the first circumpolar genetic study of these critically endangered whales has found a surprisingly high level of diversity among the surviving population of some 2,200 individuals. That may bode well for their future recovery.

Teaching fat cells to burn calories: New target against obesity involves brown fat Posted: 07 Mar 2012 03:46 PM PST In the war against obesity, one's own fat cells may seem an unlikely ally, but new research suggests ordinary fat cells can be reengineered to burn calories.

Communication technologies including smartphones and laptops could now be 1,000 times faster, new study suggests Posted: 07 Mar 2012 01:28 PM PST Many of the communication tools of today rely on the function of light or, more specifically, on applying information to a light wave. Thanks to research, a physical basis for terahertz bandwidth (THz, or 1 trillion cycles per second) -- the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum between infrared and microwave light -- has now been demonstrated.

Nasty people in the media prime the brain for aggression Posted: 07 Mar 2012 11:54 AM PST Research over the past few decades has shown that viewing physical violence in the media can increase aggression in adults and children. But a new study has also found that onscreen relational aggression -- including social exclusion, gossip and emotional bullying -- may prime the brain for aggression.

First spectroscopic measurement of an anti-atom Posted: 07 Mar 2012 11:54 AM PST Scientists have captured and held atoms of antihydrogen, a single antiproton orbited by a single positron. Now, by measuring antihydrogen's hyperfine structure, they have achieved another first in antimatter science with the very first measurements of the energy spectrum of an anti-atom.

New species of deep-sea catshark described from the Galapagos Posted: 07 Mar 2012 11:54 AM PST Scientists conducting deep-sea research in the Galapagos have described a new species of catshark, Bythaelurus giddingsi. The new shark is approximately a foot long and has a chocolate-brown coloration with pale, irregularly distributed spots on its body. The spotted patterns appear to be unique to each individual.

Researchers capture first-ever image of two atoms forming a molecule Posted: 07 Mar 2012 10:22 AM PST Using a new ultrafast camera, researchers have recorded the first real-time image of two atoms vibrating in a molecule. Key to the experiment is the researchers' use of the energy of a molecule's own electron as a kind of "flash bulb" to illuminate the molecular motion.

What have we got in common with a gorilla? Insight into human evolution from gorilla genome sequence Posted: 07 Mar 2012 10:22 AM PST Scientists have sequenced the genome of the last great ape to have its genome decoded, the gorilla. This study provides a unique perspective on our own origins and is an important resource for research into human evolution and biology, as well as for gorilla biology and conservation.

Self-centered kids? Blame their immature brains Posted: 07 Mar 2012 10:22 AM PST A new study suggests that age-associated improvements in the ability to consider the preferences of others are linked with maturation of a brain region involved in self control. The findings may help to explain why young children often struggle to control selfish impulses, even when they know better, and could impact educational strategies designed to promote successful social behavior.

Nanotrees harvest the sun's energy to turn water into hydrogen fuel Posted: 07 Mar 2012 08:23 AM PST Electrical engineers are building a forest of tiny nanowire trees in order to cleanly capture solar energy without using fossil fuels and harvest it for hydrogen fuel generation. The team said nanowires, which are made from abundant natural materials like silicon and zinc oxide, also offer a cheap way to deliver hydrogen fuel on a mass scale.

Galaxies get up close and personal: Collisions in young galaxy cluster Posted: 07 Mar 2012 06:44 AM PST The VLT Survey Telescope (VST) at the European Southern Observatory's Paranal Observatory in Chile has imaged a fascinating collection of interacting galaxies in the Hercules galaxy cluster. The sharpness of the new picture, and the hundreds of galaxies captured in great detail in less than three hours of observations, attest to the great power of the VST and its huge camera OmegaCAM to explore the nearby Universe.

Sperm can do 'calculus' to calculate calcium dynamics and react accordingly Posted: 07 Mar 2012 06:44 AM PST Sperm have only one aim: to find the egg. The egg supports the sperm in their quest by emitting attractants. Calcium ions determine the beating pattern of the sperm tail which enables the sperm to move. Scientists have discovered that sperm only react to changes in calcium concentration but not to the calcium concentration itself. Probably sperm make this calculation so that they remain capable of maneuvering even in the presence of high calcium concentrations.

Elusive Higgs boson may nearly be cornered Posted: 07 Mar 2012 05:36 AM PST New measurements announced by scientists from the CDF and DZero collaborations at the U.S. Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory indicate that the elusive Higgs boson may nearly be cornered. After analyzing the full data set from the Tevatron accelerator, which completed its last run in September 2011, the two independent experiments see hints of a Higgs boson.

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