ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• BPA substitute could spell trouble: Experiments show bisphenol S also disrupts hormone activity
• Circadian rhythms can be modified for potential treatment of disorders
• People seek high-calorie foods in tough times
• Just add water: How scientists are using silicon to produce hydrogen on demand
• From dark hearts comes the kindness of humankind
• Brain structure of infants predicts language skills at one year
• Concussion-related abnormal brain proteins in retired NFL players
• New 2-D material for next generation high-speed electronics
• Tiny fossils hold answers to big questions on climate change: Research explores 12,000 year fossil record
• Image sensors out of a spray can
• Odd biochemistry yields lethal bacterial protein
• Emotional intelligence mapped in brain: Study of Vietnam veterans with combat-related brain injuries
• Rice-cell cocktail tough on cancer cells, nice to normal cells
• Mother bear knows best place to call home
• Sex of early birds suggests dinosaur reproductive style: New way to identify gender of ancient avian species
• Unprecedented glacier melting in the Andes blamed on climate change
• Immune cells engineered in lab to resist HIV infection, study shows
• Synchrotron infrared unveils a mysterious microbial community
• Wood on the seafloor: An oasis for deep-sea life

BPA substitute could spell trouble: Experiments show bisphenol S also disrupts hormone activity Posted: 22 Jan 2013 04:14 PM PST Researchers found that like BPA, BPS disrupts cellular responses to the hormone estrogen, changing patterns of cell growth and death and hormone release. Also like BPA, it does so at extremely low levels of exposure.

Circadian rhythms can be modified for potential treatment of disorders Posted: 22 Jan 2013 01:23 PM PST Studies have revealed the cellular mechanism by which circadian rhythms -- also known as the body clock -- modify energy metabolism and also have identified novel compounds that control this action. The findings point to potential treatments for disorders triggered by circadian rhythm dysfunction, ranging from insomnia and obesity to diabetes and cancer.

People seek high-calorie foods in tough times Posted: 22 Jan 2013 11:32 AM PST Bad news about the economy could cause you to pack on the pounds, according to a new study. The study shows that when there is a perception of tough times, people tend to seek higher-calorie foods that will keep them satisfied longer.

Just add water: How scientists are using silicon to produce hydrogen on demand Posted: 22 Jan 2013 11:32 AM PST Super-small particles of silicon react with water to produce hydrogen almost instantaneously, without the need for light, heat or electricity, according to new research.

From dark hearts comes the kindness of humankind Posted: 22 Jan 2013 11:31 AM PST The kindness of humankind most likely developed from our more sinister and self-serving tendencies, according to research that suggests society's rules against selfishness are rooted in the very exploitation they condemn.

Brain structure of infants predicts language skills at one year Posted: 22 Jan 2013 11:28 AM PST Using a brain-imaging technique that examines the entire infant brain, researchers have found that the anatomy of certain brain areas – the hippocampus and cerebellum – can predict children's language abilities at one year of age.

Concussion-related abnormal brain proteins in retired NFL players Posted: 22 Jan 2013 11:28 AM PST For the first time, researchers have used a brain-imaging tool to identify the abnormal tau proteins associated with sports concussion in five retired National Football League players who are still living. Previously, confirmation of the presence of this protein could only be established by an autopsy. Follow-up studies will help determine the impact and usefulness of identifying these proteins early.

New 2-D material for next generation high-speed electronics Posted: 22 Jan 2013 09:24 AM PST Scientists have produced a new two-dimensional material that could revolutionize the electronics market, making "nano" more than just a marketing term.

Tiny fossils hold answers to big questions on climate change: Research explores 12,000 year fossil record Posted: 22 Jan 2013 09:24 AM PST A new study reveals a unique 12,000 year record of marine algae fossils that may hold clues about past climate change.

Image sensors out of a spray can Posted: 22 Jan 2013 09:24 AM PST Researchers have developed a new generation of image sensors that are more sensitive to light than the conventional silicon versions, with the added bonus of being simple and cheap to produce. They consist of electrically conductive plastics, which are sprayed on to the sensor surface in an ultra-thin layer. The chemical composition of the polymer spray coating can be altered so that even the invisible range of the light spectrum can be captured.

Odd biochemistry yields lethal bacterial protein Posted: 22 Jan 2013 09:23 AM PST While working out the structure of a cell-killing protein produced by some strains of the bacterium Enterococcus faecalis, researchers stumbled on a bit of unusual biochemistry. They found that a single enzyme helps form distinctly different, three-dimensional ring structures in the protein, one of which had never been observed before.

Emotional intelligence mapped in brain: Study of Vietnam veterans with combat-related brain injuries Posted: 22 Jan 2013 09:23 AM PST A new study of 152 Vietnam veterans with combat-related brain injuries offers the first detailed map of the brain regions that contribute to emotional intelligence -- the ability to process emotional information and navigate the social world.

Rice-cell cocktail tough on cancer cells, nice to normal cells Posted: 22 Jan 2013 09:22 AM PST In lab tests, juice from rice cells knocked out two kinds of human cancer cells as well or better than the potent anti-cancer drug Taxol. Plus, it did something extra: it left normal cells unharmed.

Mother bear knows best place to call home Posted: 22 Jan 2013 08:17 AM PST Mama bear appears to know best when it comes to selecting a place to call home, according to a new study. The research, which may ultimately help protect Alberta's dwindling population of grizzly bears, is among the first of its kind to test the nature-versus-nurture debate on how large, free-ranging wildlife select habitat.

Sex of early birds suggests dinosaur reproductive style: New way to identify gender of ancient avian species Posted: 22 Jan 2013 08:16 AM PST Paleontologists have discovered a way to determine the sex of a prehistoric bird species. Confuciusornis sanctus, a 125-million-year-old Mesozoic bird, had remarkable differences in plumage -- some had long, almost body length ornamental tail feathers, others had none -- features that have been interpreted as the earliest example of avian courtship. However, the idea that male Confuciusornis birds had ornamental plumage, and females did not, has not been proven until now.

Unprecedented glacier melting in the Andes blamed on climate change Posted: 22 Jan 2013 07:19 AM PST Glaciers in the tropical Andes have been retreating at increasing rate since the 1970s, scientists write in the most comprehensive review to date of Andean glacier observations. The researchers blame the melting on rising temperatures as the region has warmed about 0.7°C over the past 50 years (1950-1994). This unprecedented retreat could affect water supply to Andean populations in the near future.

Immune cells engineered in lab to resist HIV infection, study shows Posted: 22 Jan 2013 07:19 AM PST Researchers have found a novel way to engineer key cells of the immune system so they remain resistant to infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The new approach, a form of tailored gene therapy, could ultimately replace drug treatment, in which patients have to take multiple medications daily to keep the virus in check and prevent the potentially fatal infections wrought by AIDS.

Synchrotron infrared unveils a mysterious microbial community Posted: 22 Jan 2013 07:19 AM PST A cold sulfur spring in Germany is the only place where archaea are known to dominate bacteria in a microbial community. How this unique community thrives and the lessons it may hold for understanding global carbon and sulfur cycles are beginning to emerge from research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, using the Advanced Light Source's Berkeley Synchrotron Infrared Structural Biology facility.

Wood on the seafloor: An oasis for deep-sea life Posted: 22 Jan 2013 07:14 AM PST Sunken woods promote the dispersal of rare deep-sea animals, forming hotspots of biodiversity at the deep seafloor.

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