ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• U.S. experienced second warmest May, warmest spring on record, NOAA reports
• NASA's Spitzer finds first objects burned furiously
• Scientists discover huge phytoplankton bloom in ice-covered waters
• Quantum computers move closer to reality, thanks to highly enriched and highly purified silicon
• Highly contagious honey bee virus transmitted by mites
• Armored caterpillar could inspire new body armor
• Tabletop X-Ray to Image Nanoworld: All the colors of a high-energy rainbow, in a tightly focused beam
• How black holes change gear
• New twist on old chemical process could boost energy efficiency significantly
• Skin cells reprogrammed into brain cells
• City kids more likely to have food allergies than rural ones: Population density is key factor, study finds
• Breaking the limits of classical physics: Light's quantum mechanical properties demonstrated
• Spin structure reveals key to new forms of digital storage, study shows
• Alzheimer’s vaccine trial a success

U.S. experienced second warmest May, warmest spring on record, NOAA reports Posted: 07 Jun 2012 03:57 PM PDT According to NOAA scientists, the average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during May was 64.3°F, 3.3°F above the long-term average, making it the second warmest May on record. The month's high temperatures also contributed to the warmest spring, warmest year-to-date, and warmest 12-month period the nation has experienced since recordkeeping began in 1895.

NASA's Spitzer finds first objects burned furiously Posted: 07 Jun 2012 01:13 PM PDT The faint, lumpy glow given off by the very first objects in the universe may have been detected with the best precision yet, using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. These faint objects might be wildly massive stars or voracious black holes. They are too far away to be seen individually, but Spitzer has captured new, convincing evidence of what appears to be the collective pattern of their infrared light. The observations help confirm the first objects were numerous in quantity and furiously burned cosmic fuel.

Scientists discover huge phytoplankton bloom in ice-covered waters Posted: 07 Jun 2012 12:41 PM PDT Scientists have discovered a massive bloom of phytoplankton beneath ice-covered Arctic waters. Until now, sea ice was thought to block sunlight and limit the growth of microscopic marine plants living under the ice.

Quantum computers move closer to reality, thanks to highly enriched and highly purified silicon Posted: 07 Jun 2012 12:41 PM PDT Scientists have made the next step towards making quantum computing a reality -- through the unique properties of highly enriched and highly purified silicon.

Highly contagious honey bee virus transmitted by mites Posted: 07 Jun 2012 11:23 AM PDT Researchers report that the parasitic 'Varroa' mite has caused the deformed wing virus to proliferate in honey bee colonies. This association is now thought to contribute to the world-wide spread and probable death of millions of honey bee colonies. The current monetary value of honey bees as commercial pollinators in the United States alone is estimated at about $15-$20 billion annually.

Armored caterpillar could inspire new body armor Posted: 07 Jun 2012 11:23 AM PDT Military body armor and vehicle and aircraft frames could be transformed by incorporating the unique structure of the club-like arm of a crustacean that looks like an armored caterpillar, according to new findings.

Tabletop X-Ray to Image Nanoworld: All the colors of a high-energy rainbow, in a tightly focused beam Posted: 07 Jun 2012 11:23 AM PDT For the first time, researchers have produced a coherent, laser-like, directed beam of light that simultaneously streams ultraviolet light, X-rays, and all wavelengths in between. One of the few light sources to successfully produce a coherent beam that includes X-rays, this new technology is the first to do so using a setup that fits on a laboratory table.

How black holes change gear Posted: 07 Jun 2012 11:22 AM PDT Black holes are extremely powerful and efficient engines that not only swallow up matter, but also return a lot of energy to the universe in exchange for the mass they eat. When black holes attract mass they also trigger the release of intense X-ray radiation and power strong jets. But not all black holes do this the same way. This has long baffled astronomers. By studying two active black holes researchers have now gathered evidence that suggests that each black hole can change between two different regimes, like changing the gears of an engine.

New twist on old chemical process could boost energy efficiency significantly Posted: 07 Jun 2012 11:22 AM PDT An unappreciated aspect of chemical reactions on the surface of metal oxides could be key in developing more efficient energy systems, including more productive solar cells or hydrogen fuel cells efficient enough for automobiles.

Skin cells reprogrammed into brain cells Posted: 07 Jun 2012 09:23 AM PDT Scientists have for the first time transformed skin cells -- with a single genetic factor -- into cells that develop on their own into an interconnected, functional network of brain cells. The research offers new hope in the fight against many neurological conditions because scientists expect that such a transformation -- or reprogramming -- of cells may lead to better models for testing drugs for devastating neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.

City kids more likely to have food allergies than rural ones: Population density is key factor, study finds Posted: 07 Jun 2012 07:58 AM PDT Children living in urban centers have a much higher prevalence of food allergies than those living in rural areas, according to a new study, which is the first to map children's food allergies by geographical location in the United States. In particular, kids in big cities are more than twice as likely to have peanut and shellfish allergies.

Breaking the limits of classical physics: Light's quantum mechanical properties demonstrated Posted: 07 Jun 2012 07:58 AM PDT With simple arguments, researchers show that nature is complicated! Researchers have made a simple experiment that demonstrates that nature violates common sense. The experiment illustrates that light does not behave according to the principles of classical physics, but that light has quantum mechanical properties. The new method could be used to study whether other systems behave quantum mechanically.

Spin structure reveals key to new forms of digital storage, study shows Posted: 07 Jun 2012 06:27 AM PDT A synthetic compound long known to exhibit interesting transition properties may hold the key to new, non-magnetic forms of information storage, say researchers. The latest findings shed light on the complex relationship between a compound's electron spin arrangement and its transport properties, an area researchers have long struggled to understand.

Alzheimer’s vaccine trial a success Posted: 07 Jun 2012 06:26 AM PDT Medical researchers report, for the first time, the positive effects of an active vaccine against Alzheimer's disease. The new vaccine, CAD106, can prove a breakthrough in the search for a cure for this seriously debilitating dementia disease.

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