ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Acute stress primes brain for better cognitive and mental performance
• NASA's Wind mission encounters 'SLAMS' waves
• 'Survival of the fittest' now applies to computers: Surprising similarities found between genetic and computer codes
• Small in size, big on power: New microbatteries the most powerful yet
• Strange new bursts of gamma rays point to a new way to destroy a star
• Scientists discover new materials to capture methane
• Love at first sniff: Male moths go by first impressions
• Layered '2-D nanocrystals' promising new semiconductor
• New material gets itself into shape
• Better skin grafting: Inspired by spiny-headed worms, scientists invent microneedle adhesive stronger than surgical staples
• Powerpot turns heat and water into electricity
• Anxious about life and afraid of death? Tylenol may do the trick, study suggests
• Paper-thin skin patch collects vitals: E-health made easier and more comfortable
• Scientists transform cellulose into starch: Potential food source derived from non-food plants
• Engineers craft new material for high-performing 'supercapacitors'

Acute stress primes brain for better cognitive and mental performance Posted: 16 Apr 2013 05:45 PM PDT Chronic stress is known to cause major health problems, yet acute stress can be good for you. A new study shows why. Stress generates new nerve cells in the brain that, two weeks later, help you learn better. Thus, unlike chronic stress, acute stress primes the brain for improved cognitive and mental performance.

NASA's Wind mission encounters 'SLAMS' waves Posted: 16 Apr 2013 03:00 PM PDT To tease out what happens at that boundary of the magnetosphere and to better understand how radiation and energy from the sun can cross it and move closer to Earth, NASA launches spacecraft into this region to observe the changing conditions. From 1998 to 2002, NASA's Wind spacecraft traveled through this foreshock region in front of Earth 17 times, providing new information about the physics there.

'Survival of the fittest' now applies to computers: Surprising similarities found between genetic and computer codes Posted: 16 Apr 2013 02:16 PM PDT "Survival of the fittest" originally referred to natural selection in biological systems, but new research shows that this evolutionary theory also applies to technological systems.

Small in size, big on power: New microbatteries the most powerful yet Posted: 16 Apr 2013 12:19 PM PDT The most powerful batteries on the planet are only a few millimeters in size, yet they pack such a punch that a driver could use a cellphone powered by these batteries to jump-start a dead car battery -- and then recharge the phone in the blink of an eye. The new microbatteries out-power even the best supercapacitors and could drive new applications in radio communications and compact electronics.

Strange new bursts of gamma rays point to a new way to destroy a star Posted: 16 Apr 2013 11:47 AM PDT Scientists have pinpointed a new type of exceptionally powerful and long-lived cosmic explosion, prompting a theory that they arise in the violent death throes of a supergiant star.

Scientists discover new materials to capture methane Posted: 16 Apr 2013 10:28 AM PDT Scientists have discovered new materials to capture methane, the second highest concentration greenhouse gas emitted into the atmosphere.

Love at first sniff: Male moths go by first impressions Posted: 16 Apr 2013 09:17 AM PDT Entomologists now have an explanation for why we see so many hybrid moths in nature. The team closely examined the behavior and the olfactory circuitry of male moths and found an answer in female-produced pheromones.

Layered '2-D nanocrystals' promising new semiconductor Posted: 16 Apr 2013 08:44 AM PDT Researchers are developing a new type of semiconductor technology for future computers and electronics based on "two-dimensional nanocrystals" layered in sheets less than a nanometer thick that could replace today's transistors.

New material gets itself into shape Posted: 16 Apr 2013 08:43 AM PDT Inspired by plant components that respond to external stimuli, material scientists have devised a new method for producing composite materials from a variety of materials that adopt a pre-programmed shape autonomously.

Better skin grafting: Inspired by spiny-headed worms, scientists invent microneedle adhesive stronger than surgical staples Posted: 16 Apr 2013 08:43 AM PDT A parasitic worm may hold the answer to keeping skin grafts firmly in place over wounds.

Powerpot turns heat and water into electricity Posted: 16 Apr 2013 08:41 AM PDT Students have invented a portable cook pot that doubles as a thermoelectric generator, and are now marketing it.

Anxious about life and afraid of death? Tylenol may do the trick, study suggests Posted: 16 Apr 2013 07:23 AM PDT Researchers have found a new potential use for the over-the-counter pain drug Tylenol. Typically known to relieve physical pain, the study suggests the drug may also reduce the psychological effects of fear and anxiety over the human condition, or existential dread.

Paper-thin skin patch collects vitals: E-health made easier and more comfortable Posted: 16 Apr 2013 07:22 AM PDT The future of health care could be found in a tiny, paper-thin skin patch that collects vital information. The Bio-patch sensor is inexpensive, versatile and, best of all, comfortable to wear.

Scientists transform cellulose into starch: Potential food source derived from non-food plants Posted: 16 Apr 2013 05:53 AM PDT A team of researchers has succeeded in transforming cellulose into starch, a process that has the potential to provide a previously untapped nutrient source from plants not traditionally though of as food crops.

Engineers craft new material for high-performing 'supercapacitors' Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:48 AM PDT Taking a significant step toward improving the power delivery of systems ranging from urban electrical grids to regenerative braking in hybrid vehicles, researchers have synthesized a material that shows high capability for both the rapid storage and release of energy.

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