ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Functional ovarian tissue engineered in lab
• 2011 Oklahoma temblor: Wastewater injection spurred biggest earthquake yet, study says
• Astronomers discover new kind of supernova
• Fruit flies fed organic diets are healthier than flies fed nonorganic diets, study finds
• Violent video games are a risk factor for criminal behavior and aggression, new evidence shows
• Discovery may allow scientists to make fuel from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
• Novel way plants pass traits to next generation: Inheritance behavior in corn breaks accepted rules of genetics
• Trees used to create recyclable, efficient solar cell
• Gene therapy may aid failing hearts
• You don't 'own' your own genes: Researchers raise alarm about loss of individual 'genomic liberty' due to gene patents
• Uncovering Africa's oldest known penguins
• Lemur lookalikes are two new species, DNA says
• Human emotion: We report our feelings in 3-D
• Scientists form new nerve cells -- directly in the brain
• Obesity may be linked to microorganisms living in the gut
• 'Metascreen' forms ultra-thin invisibility cloak
• What a bunch of dodos! Catastrophic mass extinction of birds in Pacific Islands followed arrival of first people

Functional ovarian tissue engineered in lab Posted: 26 Mar 2013 12:11 PM PDT A proof-of-concept study suggests the possibility of engineering artificial ovaries in the lab to provide a more natural option for hormone replacement therapy for women.

2011 Oklahoma temblor: Wastewater injection spurred biggest earthquake yet, study says Posted: 26 Mar 2013 12:11 PM PDT A new study is the latest to tie a string of unusual earthquakes, in this case, in central Oklahoma, to injection of wastewater underground. Researchers now say that the magnitude 5.7 earthquake near Prague, Okla., on Nov. 6, 2011, may also be the largest ever linked to wastewater injection. Felt more than 800 miles away, the quake -- the biggest ever recorded in Oklahoma -- destroyed 14 homes, buckled a highway and left two people injured. Earthquakes continue to be recorded in the area.

Astronomers discover new kind of supernova Posted: 26 Mar 2013 10:33 AM PDT Supernovae were always thought to occur in two main varieties. But a team of astronomers is reporting the discovery of a new type of supernova called Type Iax. Previously, supernovae were divided into either core-collapse or Type Ia categories. Core-collapse supernovae are the explosion of a star about 10 to 100 times as massive as our sun. Type Ia supernovae are the complete disruption of a tiny white dwarf.

Fruit flies fed organic diets are healthier than flies fed nonorganic diets, study finds Posted: 26 Mar 2013 09:17 AM PDT Fruit flies fed an organic diet recorded better health outcomes than flies fed a nonorganic diet, according to a new study. Researchers found that fruit flies raised on organic foods performed better on various health tests. Flies on organic diets showed improvements on the most significant measures of health, namely fertility and longevity, according to new research.

Violent video games are a risk factor for criminal behavior and aggression, new evidence shows Posted: 26 Mar 2013 09:16 AM PDT New evidence demonstrates a link between video games and youth violence and delinquency. The research shows a strong connection even when controlling for a history of violence and psychopathic traits among juvenile offenders.

Discovery may allow scientists to make fuel from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere Posted: 26 Mar 2013 08:23 AM PDT Excess carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere created by the widespread burning of fossil fuels is the major driving force of global climate change, and researchers the world over are looking for new ways to generate power that leaves a smaller carbon footprint. A new process is made possible by a unique microorganism called Pyrococcus furiosus, or "rushing fireball," which thrives by feeding on carbohydrates in the super-heated ocean waters near geothermal vents. By manipulating the organism's genetic material, scientists have created a kind of P. furiosus that is capable of feeding at much lower temperatures on carbon dioxide.

Novel way plants pass traits to next generation: Inheritance behavior in corn breaks accepted rules of genetics Posted: 26 Mar 2013 08:20 AM PDT New research explains how certain traits can pass down from one generation to the next – at least in plants – without following the accepted rules of genetics.

Trees used to create recyclable, efficient solar cell Posted: 26 Mar 2013 08:19 AM PDT Researchers have developed efficient solar cells using natural substrates derived from plants such as trees. Just as importantly, by fabricating them on cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) substrates, the solar cells can be quickly recycled in water at the end of their lifecycle.

Gene therapy may aid failing hearts Posted: 26 Mar 2013 07:16 AM PDT In an animal study, researchers show that it was possible to use gene therapy to boost heart muscle function. The finding suggests that it might be possible to use this approach to treat patients whose hearts have been weakened by heart attacks and other heart conditions.

You don't 'own' your own genes: Researchers raise alarm about loss of individual 'genomic liberty' due to gene patents Posted: 26 Mar 2013 07:16 AM PDT Humans don't "own" their own genes, the cellular chemicals that define who they are and what diseases they might be at risk for. Through more than 40,000 patents on DNA molecules, companies have essentially claimed the entire human genome for profit, report two researchers who analyzed the patents on human DNA. Their study raises an alarm about the loss of individual "genomic liberty."

Uncovering Africa's oldest known penguins Posted: 26 Mar 2013 07:16 AM PDT Africa isn't the kind of place you might expect to find penguins. But one species lives in Africa today, and new fossils confirm that as many as four penguin species coexisted on the continent in the past. Exactly why African penguin diversity plummeted is still a mystery, but changing sea levels may be to blame. The fossils represent the oldest evidence of penguins in Africa, predating previously described fossils by 5 to 7 million years.

Lemur lookalikes are two new species, DNA says Posted: 26 Mar 2013 07:15 AM PDT Scientists have identified two new species of mouse lemur, the saucer-eyed, teacup-sized primates native to the African island of Madagascar.

Human emotion: We report our feelings in 3-D Posted: 26 Mar 2013 07:10 AM PDT Like it or not and despite the surrounding debate of its merits, 3-D is the technology du jour for movie-making in Hollywood. It now turns out that even our brains use three dimensions to communicate emotions. According to a new study, the human report of emotion relies on three distinct systems: one system that directs attention to affective states ("I feel"), a second system that categorizes these states into words ("good", "bad", etc.); and a third system that relates the intensity of affective responses ("bad" or "awful"?).

Scientists form new nerve cells -- directly in the brain Posted: 26 Mar 2013 07:08 AM PDT The field of cell therapy, which aims to form new cells in the body in order to cure disease, has taken another important step in the development towards new treatments. A new report shows that it is possible to re-program other cells to become nerve cells, directly in the brain.

Obesity may be linked to microorganisms living in the gut Posted: 26 Mar 2013 06:50 AM PDT How much a person eats may be only one of many factors that determines weight gain. A recent study suggests that a breath test profile of microorganisms inhabiting the gut may be able to tell doctors how susceptible a person is to developing obesity.

'Metascreen' forms ultra-thin invisibility cloak Posted: 25 Mar 2013 05:25 PM PDT Up until now, the invisibility cloaks put forward by scientists have been fairly bulky contraptions -- an obvious flaw for those interested in Harry Potter-style applications.

What a bunch of dodos! Catastrophic mass extinction of birds in Pacific Islands followed arrival of first people Posted: 25 Mar 2013 01:05 PM PDT The demise of the dodo is one of the better known bird extinctions in the world, but its sad fate was anticipated a thousand times over by its Pacific cousins.

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