ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Tenth of quirky creature's active genes are foreign: Believed to 'ingest' DNA from other simple organisms
• How insects domesticate bacteria to live symbiotically: Symbiotic microbes' origin discovered after man impales hand on branch
• Scientists discover ways to optimize light sources for vision: Tuning lighting devices could save billions
• Neurons made from stem cells drive brain activity after transplantation in laboratory model
• 'Space gems': Rare meteorites created in violent celestial collision
• Archaeologists identify oldest spear points: Used in hunting half-million years ago
• Key to super-sensory hearing? Newly identified hearing organ in bushcrickets' ears may inspire acoustic sensors
• Wax-filled nanotech yarn behaves like powerful, super-strong muscle
• Airborne particles smuggle pollutants to far reaches of globe
• Candidate for most distant galaxy discovered
• These mini-bots were made for walking: Cells power biological machines
• This is your brain on freestyle rap: Study reveals characteristic brain patterns of lyrical improvisation
• At least one-third of marine species remain undescribed
• Meteorites reveal warm water existed on Mars
• Born-again star foreshadows fate of Solar System

Tenth of quirky creature's active genes are foreign: Believed to 'ingest' DNA from other simple organisms Posted: 15 Nov 2012 02:20 PM PST Up to 10 percent of the active genes of an organism that has survived 80 million years without sex are foreign, a new study reveals. The asexual organism, the bdelloid rotifer, has acquired a tenth of its active genes from bacteria and other simple organisms like fungi and algae.

How insects domesticate bacteria to live symbiotically: Symbiotic microbes' origin discovered after man impales hand on branch Posted: 15 Nov 2012 02:13 PM PST Two years ago, a 71-year-old Indiana man impaled his hand on a branch after cutting down a dead crab apple tree, causing an infection that led scientists to discover a new bacterium and solve a mystery about how bacteria came to live inside insects.

Scientists discover ways to optimize light sources for vision: Tuning lighting devices could save billions Posted: 15 Nov 2012 12:26 PM PST Vision researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery into the optimization of light sources to human vision. By tuning lighting devices to work more efficiently with the human brain, the researchers believe billions of dollars in energy costs could be saved.

Neurons made from stem cells drive brain activity after transplantation in laboratory model Posted: 15 Nov 2012 12:26 PM PST Scientists are able to make neurons and other brain cells from stem cells, but getting these neurons to properly function when transplanted to a host has proven more difficult. Now, researchers have found a way to stimulate stem cell-derived neurons to direct cognitive function after transplantation to an existing neural network.

'Space gems': Rare meteorites created in violent celestial collision Posted: 15 Nov 2012 11:15 AM PST A tiny fraction of meteorites on Earth contain strikingly beautiful, translucent, olive-green crystals embedded in an iron-nickel matrix. Called pallasites, these "space gems" have fascinated scientists since they were first identified as originating from outer space more than 200 years ago. Now a new study shows that their origins were more dramatic than first thought.

Archaeologists identify oldest spear points: Used in hunting half-million years ago Posted: 15 Nov 2012 11:15 AM PST A collaborative study found that human ancestors were making stone-tipped weapons 500,000 years ago at the South African archaeological site of Kathu Pan 1 -- 200,000 years earlier than previously thought.

Key to super-sensory hearing? Newly identified hearing organ in bushcrickets' ears may inspire acoustic sensors Posted: 15 Nov 2012 11:15 AM PST Researchers have identified a new hearing organ which provides the missing link to understanding how sound is transmitted within the ears of bushcrickets. This discovery will make a valuable contribution to creating bio-inspired acoustic sensors of the future, from medical imaging equipment in hospitals to developing improved hearing aid devices.

Wax-filled nanotech yarn behaves like powerful, super-strong muscle Posted: 15 Nov 2012 11:15 AM PST New artificial muscles made from nanotech yarns and infused with paraffin wax can lift more than 100,000 times their own weight and generate 85 times more mechanical power during contraction than the same size natural muscle, according to scientists. The artificial muscles are yarns constructed from carbon nanotubes.

Airborne particles smuggle pollutants to far reaches of globe Posted: 15 Nov 2012 11:14 AM PST Pollution from fossil fuel burning and forest fires reaches all the way to the Arctic, even though it should decay long before it travels that far. Now, lab research can explain how pollution makes its lofty journey: rather than ride on the surface of airborne particles, pollutants snuggle inside, protected from the elements on the way. The results will help scientists improve atmospheric air-quality and pollution transport models.

Candidate for most distant galaxy discovered Posted: 15 Nov 2012 11:14 AM PST By combining the power of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and one of nature's own natural "zoom lenses" in space, astronomers have set a new distance record for finding the farthest galaxy yet seen in the universe.

These mini-bots were made for walking: Cells power biological machines Posted: 15 Nov 2012 10:37 AM PST They're soft, biocompatible, about 7 millimeters long -- and, incredibly, able to walk by themselves. Miniature "bio-bots" are making tracks in synthetic biology. The walking bio-bots demonstrate forward-engineering functional machines using only hydrogel, heart cells and a 3-D printer. The bio-bots could be customized for specific applications in medicine, energy or the environment.

This is your brain on freestyle rap: Study reveals characteristic brain patterns of lyrical improvisation Posted: 15 Nov 2012 10:31 AM PST Researchers have shown that freestyle rapping is associated with a unique functional reallocation of brain activity in the prefrontal cortex and proposes a novel neural network that appears to be intimately involved in improvisatory and creative endeavors.

At least one-third of marine species remain undescribed Posted: 15 Nov 2012 10:31 AM PST At least one-third of the species that inhabit the world's oceans may remain completely unknown to science. That's despite the fact that more species have been described in the last decade than in any previous one, according to a new report that details the first comprehensive register of marine species of the world -- a massive collaborative undertaking by hundreds of experts around the globe.

Meteorites reveal warm water existed on Mars Posted: 15 Nov 2012 10:30 AM PST Hydrothermal fractures around Martian impact craters may have been a habitable environment for microbial life. New research into evidence of water on Mars determined that water temperatures on the Red Planet ranged from 50°C to 150°C. Microbes on Earth can live in similar waters, for example in the volcanic thermal springs at Yellowstone Park, the scientists behind the research point out.

Born-again star foreshadows fate of Solar System Posted: 15 Nov 2012 10:23 AM PST Astronomers have found evidence for a dying Sun-like star coming briefly back to life after casting its gassy shells out into space, mimicking the possible fate our own Solar System faces in a few billion years.

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