ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Memories of near death experiences: More real than reality?
• Saturn is like an antiques shop, Cassini suggests; Moons and rings date back to solar system's birth
• Cancer biologists find DNA-damaging toxins in common plant-based foods
• How microbes survive at bare minimum: Archaea eat protein
• New evidence ancient asteroid caused global firestorm on Earth
• Quantum computing? Physicists' new technique for cooling molecules may be a stepping stone to quantum computing
• Scientists image deep magma beneath Pacific seafloor volcano
• New way to lose weight? Changing microbes in guts of mice resulted in rapid weight loss
• Imaging methodology reveals nano details not seen before: Understanding nanoparticles at atomic scale in 3-D could improve materials
• Carbon cycle: Four cells turn seabed microbiology upside down
• Sun block for the 'Big Dog': Astronomers detect titanium oxide and titanium dioxide around the giant star VY Canis Majoris
• Summer melt season getting longer on Antarctic Peninsula
• New fossil species from a fish-eat-fish world when limbed animals evolved
• Pesticide combination affects bees' ability to learn
• 'Fountain of youth' telomerase: Scientists successfully map enzyme that has rejuvenating effect on cells
• Link between faster 'biological' aging and risk of developing age-related diseases
• Genetic 'spelling mistakes' that increase risk of common cancers determined
• How hard is it to 'de-anonymize' cellphone data?
• New type of solar structure cools buildings in full sunlight
• Tarsiers' bulging eyes shed light on evolution of human vision
• Scientists discover driving force behind prostate cancer
• Early prehistoric marine reptiles: Evidence of a placodont that originated in Europe
• Dusting for prints from a fossil fish to understand evolutionary change
• Lunar cycle determines hunting behavior of nocturnal gulls
• Controversial worm keeps its position as progenitor of humankind
• How to build a very large star
• Study finds strong genetic component to childhood obesity

Memories of near death experiences: More real than reality? Posted: 27 Mar 2013 04:03 PM PDT Researchers have demonstrated that the physiological mechanisms triggered during near death experiences (NDE) lead to a more vivid perception not only of imagined events in the history of an individual but also of real events which have taken place in their lives. These surprising results – obtained using an original method -- now require further investigation.

Saturn is like an antiques shop, Cassini suggests; Moons and rings date back to solar system's birth Posted: 27 Mar 2013 02:01 PM PDT A new analysis of data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft suggests that Saturn's moons and rings are gently worn vintage goods from around the time of our solar system's birth. Though they are tinted on the surface from recent "pollution," these bodies date back more than 4 billion years. They are from around the time that the planetary bodies in our neighborhood began to form out of the protoplanetary nebula, the cloud of material still orbiting the sun after its ignition as a star.

Cancer biologists find DNA-damaging toxins in common plant-based foods Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:33 PM PDT In a laboratory study pairing food chemistry and cancer biology, scientists tested the potentially harmful effect of foods and flavorings on the DNA of cells. They found that liquid smoke flavoring, black and green teas and coffee activated the highest levels of a well-known, cancer-linked gene called p53.

How microbes survive at bare minimum: Archaea eat protein Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:32 PM PDT Beneath the ocean floor is a desolate place with no oxygen and sunlight. Yet microbes have thrived in this environment for millions of years. Scientists have puzzled over how these microbes survive, but today there are more answers.

New evidence ancient asteroid caused global firestorm on Earth Posted: 27 Mar 2013 11:42 AM PDT A new look at conditions after a Manhattan-sized asteroid slammed into a region of Mexico in the dinosaur days indicates the event could have triggered a global firestorm that would have burned every twig, bush and tree on Earth and led to the extinction of 80 percent of all Earth's species, says a new study.

Quantum computing? Physicists' new technique for cooling molecules may be a stepping stone to quantum computing Posted: 27 Mar 2013 11:41 AM PDT At the heart of next-generation computers may be a collection of ultracold molecules held at temperatures a mere fraction of a degree above absolute zero. By combining two traditional atomic cooling technologies, physicists have pioneered a new technique for bringing normally springy molecules to a frozen standstill. Their results may be an important stepping stone towards future quantum computing.

Scientists image deep magma beneath Pacific seafloor volcano Posted: 27 Mar 2013 11:41 AM PDT Since the plate tectonics revolution of the 1960s, scientists have known that new seafloor is created throughout the major ocean basins at linear chains of volcanoes known as mid-ocean ridges. But where exactly does the erupted magma come from? Researchers now have a better idea after capturing a unique image of a site deep in the earth where magma is generated.

New way to lose weight? Changing microbes in guts of mice resulted in rapid weight loss Posted: 27 Mar 2013 11:41 AM PDT New research has found that the gut microbes of mice underwent drastic changes following gastric bypass surgery. The transfer of these microbes into sterile mice resulted in rapid weight loss.

Imaging methodology reveals nano details not seen before: Understanding nanoparticles at atomic scale in 3-D could improve materials Posted: 27 Mar 2013 11:41 AM PDT Scientists have produced 3-D images and videos of a tiny platinum nanoparticle at atomic resolution that reveal new details of defects in nanomaterials that have not been seen before.

Carbon cycle: Four cells turn seabed microbiology upside down Posted: 27 Mar 2013 11:41 AM PDT With DNA from just four cells, researchers reveal how some of the world's most abundant organisms play a key role in carbon cycling in the seabed.

Sun block for the 'Big Dog': Astronomers detect titanium oxide and titanium dioxide around the giant star VY Canis Majoris Posted: 27 Mar 2013 11:38 AM PDT Astronomers have successfully identified two titanium oxides in the extended atmosphere around a giant star. The object VY Canis Major is one of the largest stars in the known universe and close to the end of its life. The star ejects large quantities of material which forms a dusty nebula.

Summer melt season getting longer on Antarctic Peninsula Posted: 27 Mar 2013 10:37 AM PDT New research from the Antarctic Peninsula shows that the summer melt season has been getting longer over the last 60 years. Increased summer melting has been linked to the rapid break-up of ice shelves in the area and rising sea level.

New fossil species from a fish-eat-fish world when limbed animals evolved Posted: 27 Mar 2013 10:35 AM PDT Scientists who famously discovered the lobe-finned fish fossil Tiktaalik roseae, a species with some of the clearest evidence of the evolutionary transition from fish to limbed animals, have described another new species of predatory fossil lobe-finned fish fish from the same time and place. By describing more Devonian species, they're gaining a greater understanding of the "fish-eat-fish world" that drove the evolution of limbed vertebrates.

Pesticide combination affects bees' ability to learn Posted: 27 Mar 2013 10:33 AM PDT Two new studies have highlighted a negative impact on bees' ability to learn following exposure to a combination of pesticides commonly used in agriculture. The researchers found that the pesticides, used in the research at levels shown to occur in the wild, could interfere with the learning circuits in the bee's brain.

'Fountain of youth' telomerase: Scientists successfully map enzyme that has rejuvenating effect on cells Posted: 27 Mar 2013 10:33 AM PDT Scientists have for the first time mapped telomerase, an enzyme which has a kind of rejuvenating effect on normal cell aging. The findings are a step forward in the fight against cancer.

Link between faster 'biological' aging and risk of developing age-related diseases Posted: 27 Mar 2013 10:33 AM PDT Scientists have found new evidence that links faster "biological" aging to the risk of developing several age-related diseases -- including heart disease, multiple sclerosis and various cancers.

Genetic 'spelling mistakes' that increase risk of common cancers determined Posted: 27 Mar 2013 10:25 AM PDT More than 80 genetic 'spelling mistakes' that can increase the risk of breast, prostate and ovarian cancer have been found in a large, international research study. For the first time, the researchers also have a relatively clear picture of the total number of genetic alterations that can be linked to these cancers.

How hard is it to 'de-anonymize' cellphone data? Posted: 27 Mar 2013 10:25 AM PDT Scientists analyzed data on 1.5 million cellphone users in a small European country over a span of 15 months and found that just four points of reference, with fairly low spatial and temporal resolution, was enough to uniquely identify 95 percent of them. This means that to extract the complete location information for a single person from an "anonymized" data set of more than a million people, all you would need to do is place him or her within a couple of hundred yards of a cellphone transmitter, sometime over the course of an hour, four times in one year. A few Twitter posts would probably provide all the information you needed, if they contained specific information about the person's whereabouts.

New type of solar structure cools buildings in full sunlight Posted: 27 Mar 2013 10:25 AM PDT Scientists have designed an entirely new form of cooling panel that works even when the sun is shining. Such a panel could vastly improve the daylight cooling of buildings, cars and other structures by radiating sunlight back into the chilly vacuum of space.

Tarsiers' bulging eyes shed light on evolution of human vision Posted: 27 Mar 2013 10:25 AM PDT After eons of wandering in the dark, primates developed highly acute, three-color vision that permitted them to shift to daytime living, a new study suggests.

Scientists discover driving force behind prostate cancer Posted: 27 Mar 2013 10:24 AM PDT Scientists have discovered the driving force behind the development of prostate cancer. Their research reveals the existence of a cancer inducing DNA re-alignment in stem cells taken from human prostate cancers.

Early prehistoric marine reptiles: Evidence of a placodont that originated in Europe Posted: 27 Mar 2013 10:24 AM PDT Placodonts were among the first marine reptiles. With their trademark crushing teeth, they fed on shellfish and crustaceans. However, when and where these highly specialized marine reptiles originated remained unclear until now. A 246-million-year-old skull of a juvenile placodont was recently discovered in the Netherlands. Paleontologists have now demonstrated that it is one of the earliest examples of these saurians and that it originated in Europe.

Dusting for prints from a fossil fish to understand evolutionary change Posted: 27 Mar 2013 07:41 AM PDT In 370-million-year-old red sandstone deposits in a highway roadcut, scientists have discovered a new species of armored fish in north central Pennsylvania. Studying and describing this fish's anatomy, they took advantage of a technique that may look like it was stolen from crime scene investigators.

Lunar cycle determines hunting behavior of nocturnal gulls Posted: 27 Mar 2013 07:30 AM PDT Zooplankton, small fish and squid spend hardly any time at the surface when there's a full moon. To protect themselves from their natural enemies, they hide deeper down in the water on bright nights, coming up to the surface under cover of darkness when there's a new moon instead. Scientists discovered that this also influences the behavior of swallow-tailed gulls, a unique nocturnal species of gull from the Galapagos Islands.

Controversial worm keeps its position as progenitor of humankind Posted: 27 Mar 2013 07:30 AM PDT Researchers are arguing about whether or not the Xenoturbella bocki worm is the progenitor of humankind. But new studies indicate that this is actually the case.

How to build a very large star Posted: 27 Mar 2013 06:23 AM PDT Stars ten times as massive as the Sun, or more, should not exist: as they grow, they tend to push away the gas they feed on, starving their own growth. Scientists have been struggling to figure out how some stars overcome this hurdle. Now, a group of researchers suggests that baby stars may grow to great mass if they happen to be born within a corral of older stars.

Study finds strong genetic component to childhood obesity Posted: 26 Mar 2013 08:22 AM PDT Childhood body weight is strongly influenced by genes, scientists say. This study underlines the importance of genetic effects in childhood obesity, supporting the current thinking that children of obese parents are most at risk of becoming obese.

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