ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Unleashing the watchdog protein: Research opens door to new drug therapies for Parkinson's disease
• Biomaterial shows promise for Type 1 diabetes treatment
• Using bacteria to stop malaria
• Dust in the clouds: Cirrus clouds form around mineral dust and metallic particles
• Heady mathematics: Describing popping bubbles in a foam
• Moon and Earth have common water source
• How individuality develops: Experience leads to growth of new brain cells
• Ice-free Arctic may be in our future, international researchers say
• Mapping the embryonic epigenome: How genes are turned on and off during early human development
• Dead stars 'polluted' with planetary debris: Signs of Earth-like planets found
• Rejuvenating hormone found to reverse symptoms of heart failure
• Coral reefs suffering, but collapse not inevitable
• 'Power plants': How to harvest electricity directly from plants
• Brain system for emotional self-control discovered
• Could eating peppers prevent Parkinson's? Dietary nicotine may hold protective key
• Early infant growth rate linked to composition of gut microbiota
• Secret streets of Britain's 'Atlantis' are revealed
• Laughter perception networks in brain different for mocking, joyful or ticklish laughter

Unleashing the watchdog protein: Research opens door to new drug therapies for Parkinson's disease Posted: 09 May 2013 12:45 PM PDT Researchers have unlocked a new door to developing drugs to slow the progression of Parkinson's disease.

Biomaterial shows promise for Type 1 diabetes treatment Posted: 09 May 2013 12:45 PM PDT Researchers have made a significant first step with newly engineered biomaterials for cell transplantation that could help lead to a possible cure for Type 1 diabetes, which affects about 3 million Americans. Engineers and clinicians have successfully engrafted insulin-producing cells into a diabetic mouse model, reversing diabetic symptoms in the animal in as little as 10 days.

Using bacteria to stop malaria Posted: 09 May 2013 11:21 AM PDT Mosquitoes are deadly efficient disease transmitters. New research however, demonstrates that they also can be part of the solution for preventing diseases such as malaria.

Dust in the clouds: Cirrus clouds form around mineral dust and metallic particles Posted: 09 May 2013 11:21 AM PDT Cirrus clouds influence global climate, cooling the planet by reflecting incoming solar radiation and warming it by trapping outgoing heat. Understanding the mechanisms by which these clouds form may help scientists better predict future climate patterns. Scientists have now identified the major seeds on which cirrus clouds form.

Heady mathematics: Describing popping bubbles in a foam Posted: 09 May 2013 11:21 AM PDT Two applied mathematicians have found a way to mathematically describe the evolution and disappearance of a foam. Using these equations, they were able to generate a movie that shows the complex draining, popping and rearrangement of these bubbles as the foam vanishes.

Moon and Earth have common water source Posted: 09 May 2013 11:20 AM PDT New research finds that water inside the moon's mantle comes from the same source as water on Earth. The Moon is thought to have formed after a giant impact to a still-forming Earth 4.5 million years ago. These new findings suggest that Earth may have had water at the time of that impact, and some of that water may have been transferred to the moon.

How individuality develops: Experience leads to growth of new brain cells Posted: 09 May 2013 11:20 AM PDT How do organisms evolve into individuals that are distinguished from others by their own personal brain structure and behavior? Scientists have now taken a decisive step towards clarifying this question. Using mice as an animal model, they were able to show that individual experiences influence the development of new neurons, leading to measurable changes in the brain.

Ice-free Arctic may be in our future, international researchers say Posted: 09 May 2013 11:20 AM PDT Analyses of the longest continental sediment core ever collected in the Arctic provide "absolutely new knowledge" of Arctic climate from 2.2 to 3.6 million years ago. The research has major implications for understanding how the Arctic transitioned from a forested landscape without ice sheets to the ice- and snow-covered land we know today.

Mapping the embryonic epigenome: How genes are turned on and off during early human development Posted: 09 May 2013 09:36 AM PDT A large, multi-institutional research team has published a sweeping analysis of how genes are turned on and off to direct early human development.

Dead stars 'polluted' with planetary debris: Signs of Earth-like planets found Posted: 09 May 2013 09:36 AM PDT Astronomers have found signs of Earth-like planets in an unlikely place: the atmospheres of a pair of burnt-out stars in a nearby star cluster. The white dwarf stars are being polluted by debris from asteroid-like objects falling onto them. This discovery suggests that rocky planet assembly is common in clusters, say researchers.

Rejuvenating hormone found to reverse symptoms of heart failure Posted: 09 May 2013 09:34 AM PDT Heart failure is one of the most debilitating conditions linked to old age. A new study reveals that a blood hormone known as growth differentiation factor 11 declines with age, and old mice injected with this hormone experience a reversal in signs of cardiac aging. The findings shed light on the underlying causes of age-related heart failure and may offer a much-needed strategy for treating this condition in humans.

Coral reefs suffering, but collapse not inevitable Posted: 09 May 2013 09:34 AM PDT Coral reefs are in decline, but their collapse can still be avoided with local and global action. That's according to findings based on an analysis that combines the latest science on reef dynamics with the latest climate models.

'Power plants': How to harvest electricity directly from plants Posted: 09 May 2013 07:43 AM PDT The sun provides the most abundant source of energy on the planet. However, only a tiny fraction of the solar radiation on Earth is converted into useful energy.

Brain system for emotional self-control discovered Posted: 09 May 2013 07:43 AM PDT Different brain areas are activated when we choose to suppress an emotion, compared to when we are instructed to inhibit an emotion, according a new study.

Could eating peppers prevent Parkinson's? Dietary nicotine may hold protective key Posted: 09 May 2013 06:12 AM PDT New research reveals that Solanaceae -- a flowering plant family with some species producing foods that are edible sources of nicotine -- may provide a protective effect against Parkinson's disease. The study suggests that eating foods that contain even a small amount of nicotine, such as peppers and tomatoes, may reduce risk of developing Parkinson's.

Early infant growth rate linked to composition of gut microbiota Posted: 09 May 2013 06:12 AM PDT The composition of gut microbiota in a new-born baby's gut has been linked to the rate of early infant growth. The findings support the assertion that the early development of "microbiota" -- the body's microbial ecosystem -- in an infant can influence growth and thereby the likelihood of obesity.

Secret streets of Britain's 'Atlantis' are revealed Posted: 09 May 2013 06:11 AM PDT Archeologists have carried out the most detailed analysis ever of the archaeological remains of the lost medieval town of Dunwich, dubbed 'Britain's Atlantis'. Using advanced underwater imaging techniques, the project has produced the most accurate map to date of the town's streets, boundaries and major buildings, and revealed new ruins on the seabed.

Laughter perception networks in brain different for mocking, joyful or ticklish laughter Posted: 08 May 2013 02:21 PM PDT A laugh may signal mockery, humor, joy or simply be a response to tickling, but each kind of laughter conveys a wealth of auditory and social information. These different kinds of laughter also spark different connections within the "laughter perception network" in the human brain depending on their context, according to new research.

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