ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Remaining Martian atmosphere still dynamic
• A warming world will further intensify extreme precipitation events, research shows
• 'Artificial leaf' gains the ability to self-heal damage and produce energy from dirty water
• Couch potatoes may be genetically predisposed to being lazy, rat study suggests
• 'Post-mortem' yields insight into Kepler's supernova
• Hot and cold senses interact: Cold perception is enhanced when nerve circuitry for heat is inactivated
• The ethics of resurrecting extinct species
• How carbon moves within planet plays big role in planetary atmosphere formation
• Moving cells with light holds medical promise
• Avian virus may be harmful to cancer cells
• Rapid climate change and the role of the Southern Ocean
• New evidence dinosaurs were strong swimmers
• Tin nanocrystals for the battery of the future
• Rare primate's vocal lip-smacks share features of human speech
• Children with autism leave 'silly' out
• Dramatic retreat of the Andean glaciers over the last 30 years
• New 'transient electronics' disappear when no longer needed
• 'Jumping genes' may contribute to aging-related brain defects
• Cry me a river of possibility: Scientists design new adaptive material inspired by tears
• Mind over matter? Core body temperature controlled by the brain

Remaining Martian atmosphere still dynamic Posted: 08 Apr 2013 04:29 PM PDT Mars has lost much of its original atmosphere, but what's left remains quite active, recent findings from NASA's Mars rover Curiosity indicate, scientists report. Evidence has strengthened that Mars lost much of its original atmosphere by a process of gas escaping from the top of the atmosphere.

A warming world will further intensify extreme precipitation events, research shows Posted: 08 Apr 2013 04:09 PM PDT As the globe warms from rising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, more moisture in a warmer atmosphere will make the most extreme precipitation events more intense, new research shows.

'Artificial leaf' gains the ability to self-heal damage and produce energy from dirty water Posted: 08 Apr 2013 03:58 PM PDT Another innovative feature has been added to the world's first practical "artificial leaf," making the device even more suitable for providing people in developing countries and remote areas with electricity. It gives the leaf the ability to self-heal damage.

Couch potatoes may be genetically predisposed to being lazy, rat study suggests Posted: 08 Apr 2013 03:47 PM PDT Researchers were able to selectively breed rats that exhibited traits of either extreme activity or extreme laziness. They say these rats indicate that genetics could play a role in exercise motivation, even in humans.

'Post-mortem' yields insight into Kepler's supernova Posted: 08 Apr 2013 03:46 PM PDT An exploding star observed in 1604 by the German astronomer Johannes Kepler held a greater fraction of heavy elements than the sun, according to an analysis of X-ray observations from the Japan-led Suzaku satellite. The findings will help astronomers better understand the diversity of type Ia supernovae, an important class of stellar explosion used in probing the distant universe.

Hot and cold senses interact: Cold perception is enhanced when nerve circuitry for heat is inactivated Posted: 08 Apr 2013 02:22 PM PDT A new study offers new insights into how the nervous system processes hot and cold temperatures. The research found an interaction between the neural circuits that detect hot and cold stimuli: cold perception is enhanced when nerve circuitry for heat is inactivated.

The ethics of resurrecting extinct species Posted: 08 Apr 2013 01:59 PM PDT At some point, scientists may be able to bring back extinct animals, and perhaps early humans, raising questions of ethics and environmental disruption.

How carbon moves within planet plays big role in planetary atmosphere formation Posted: 08 Apr 2013 12:29 PM PDT A new study suggests that the way carbon moves from within a planet to the surface plays a big role in the evolution of a planet's atmosphere. Mars, which likely released much of its carbon as methane, might have been warm enough to support liquid water.

Moving cells with light holds medical promise Posted: 08 Apr 2013 12:29 PM PDT Scientists have shown they can coax cells to move toward a beam of light. The feat is a first step toward manipulating cells to control insulin secretion or heart rate using light.

Avian virus may be harmful to cancer cells Posted: 08 Apr 2013 11:26 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that a genetically engineered Newcastle disease virus, which harms chickens but not humans, kills prostate cancer cells of all kinds, including hormone-resistant cancer cells.

Rapid climate change and the role of the Southern Ocean Posted: 08 Apr 2013 10:37 AM PDT Scientists have discovered new clues about past rapid climate change. The research concludes that oceanographic reorganizations and biological processes are linked to the supply of airborne dust in the Southern Ocean and this connection played a key role in past rapid fluctuations of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, an important component in the climate system.

New evidence dinosaurs were strong swimmers Posted: 08 Apr 2013 09:35 AM PDT A researcher has identified some of the strongest evidence ever found that dinosaurs could paddle long distances. He examined unusual claw marks left on a river bottom in China that is known to have been a major travel-way for dinosaurs.

Tin nanocrystals for the battery of the future Posted: 08 Apr 2013 09:32 AM PDT More powerful batteries could help electric cars achieve a considerably larger range and thus a breakthrough on the market. A new nanomaterial for lithium ion batteries could come into play here.

Rare primate's vocal lip-smacks share features of human speech Posted: 08 Apr 2013 09:31 AM PDT The vocal lip-smacks that geladas use in friendly encounters have surprising similarities to human speech, according to a new study. The geladas, which live only in the mountains of Ethiopia, are the only nonhuman primate known to communicate with such a speech-like, undulating rhythm. Calls of other monkeys and apes are typically one or two syllables and lack those rapid fluctuations in pitch and volume.

Children with autism leave 'silly' out Posted: 08 Apr 2013 09:31 AM PDT When a child with autism copies the actions of an adult, he or she is likely to omit anything "silly" about what they've just seen. In contrast, typically developing children will go out of their way to repeat each and every element of the behavior even as they may realize that parts of it don't make any sense.

Dramatic retreat of the Andean glaciers over the last 30 years Posted: 08 Apr 2013 09:28 AM PDT The glaciers in the tropical Andes shrunk between 30 and 50% in 30 years, which represents the highest rate observed over the last three centuries. Scientists have recently published a summary which chronicles the history of these glaciers since their maximum extension, reached between 1650 and 1730 of our era, in the middle of the Little Ice Age. The faster melting is due to the rapid climate change which has occurred in the tropics since the 1950s, and in particular since the end of the 1970s, leading to an average temperature rise of 0.7°C in this part of the Andes. At the current pace of their retreat, small glaciers could disappear within the next 10 to 15 years, affecting water supply for the populations.

New 'transient electronics' disappear when no longer needed Posted: 08 Apr 2013 09:23 AM PDT Scientists have described key advances toward practical uses of a new genre of tiny, biocompatible electronic devices that could be implanted into the body to relieve pain or battle infection for a specific period of time, and then dissolve harmlessly.

'Jumping genes' may contribute to aging-related brain defects Posted: 08 Apr 2013 07:33 AM PDT Aging is a destructive process, whose most visible effects occur on the physical characteristics of the body. Now neuroscientists show transposon, or jumping gene, activity in the aging fruit fly brain may be the cause of age-related brain defects. This research adds to previous data from their lab suggesting loss of transposon control could be a cause of neurodegenerative disease.

Cry me a river of possibility: Scientists design new adaptive material inspired by tears Posted: 08 Apr 2013 05:51 AM PDT Imagine highly precise, self-adjusting contact lenses that also clean themselves. Scientists have just moved these enticing notions much closer to reality by designing a new kind of adaptive material with tunable transparency and wettability features.

Mind over matter? Core body temperature controlled by the brain Posted: 08 Apr 2013 05:48 AM PDT Scientists have shown, for the first time, that it is possible for core body temperature to be controlled by the brain. The scientists found that core body temperature increases can be achieved using certain meditation techniques (g-tummo) which could help in boosting immunity to fight infectious diseases or immunodeficiency.

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