ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Lava erupting on sea floor linked to deep-carbon cycle
• Robotic insects make first controlled flight
• How graphene and friends could harness the Sun's energy hitting walls
• Kids with conduct problems may have brains that under-react to painful images: May increase risk of adult psychopathy
• Genetic factor predicts success of weight-loss surgery
• Adult cells transformed into early-stage nerve cells, bypassing the pluripotent stem cell stage
• Gene mutations associated with nearsightedness identified
• 3-D simulation shows how form of complex organs evolves by natural selection
• World-first study predicts epilepsy seizures in humans
• Primate hibernation more common than previously thought
• Finding Nematostella: Ancient sea creature shines new light on how animals build an appendage
• An anarchic region of star formation
• Poison lips? Troubling levels of toxic metals found in cosmetics
• Bonding with your virtual self may alter your actual perceptions
• New brain research shows two parents may be better than one
• Vitamin D: More may not be better
• Protein complex found in human breast milk can help reverse antibiotic resistance in superbugs
• Want to slow mental decay? Play a video game
• Computer algorithms help find cancer connections

Lava erupting on sea floor linked to deep-carbon cycle Posted: 02 May 2013 04:22 PM PDT Scientists have found unsuspected linkages between the oxidation state of iron in volcanic rocks and variations in the chemistry of the deep Earth. Not only do the trends run counter to predictions from recent decades of study, they belie a role for carbon circulating in the deep Earth.

Robotic insects make first controlled flight Posted: 02 May 2013 11:26 AM PDT In the very early hours of the morning, in a Harvard robotics laboratory last summer, an insect took flight. Half the size of a paperclip, weighing less than a tenth of a gram, it leaped a few inches, hovered for a moment on fragile, flapping wings, and then sped along a preset route through the air. This demonstration of the first controlled flight of an insect-sized robot is the culmination of more than a decade's work.

How graphene and friends could harness the Sun's energy hitting walls Posted: 02 May 2013 11:25 AM PDT Combining wonder material graphene with other stunning one-atom thick materials could create the next generation of solar cells and optoelectronic devices, scientists have revealed. Researchers have shown how building multi-layered heterostructures in a three-dimensional stack can produce an exciting physical phenomenon exploring new electronic devices. The breakthrough, published in Science, could lead to electric energy that runs entire buildings generated by sunlight absorbed by its exposed walls; the energy can be used at will to change the transparency and reflectivity of fixtures and windows depending on environmental conditions, such as temperature and brightness.

Kids with conduct problems may have brains that under-react to painful images: May increase risk of adult psychopathy Posted: 02 May 2013 10:18 AM PDT When children with conduct problems see images of others in pain, key parts of their brains don't react in the way they do in most people. This pattern of reduced brain activity upon witnessing pain may serve as a neurobiological risk factor for later adult psychopathy, say researchers.

Genetic factor predicts success of weight-loss surgery Posted: 02 May 2013 10:18 AM PDT A genome-wide association study reveals that the amount of weight loss after gastric bypass surgery can be predicted in part by a DNA sequence variation found on chromosome 15. The findings explain why the success of gastric bypass surgery varies so widely and could help clinicians identify those who would benefit the most from this type of surgery.

Adult cells transformed into early-stage nerve cells, bypassing the pluripotent stem cell stage Posted: 02 May 2013 10:17 AM PDT Scientists have converted skin cells from people and monkeys into a cell that can form a wide variety of nervous-system cells — without passing through the do-it-all stage called the induced pluripotent stem cell, or iPSC.

Gene mutations associated with nearsightedness identified Posted: 02 May 2013 10:17 AM PDT Mutations in a gene that helps regulate copper and oxygen levels in eye tissue are associated with a severe form of nearsightedness, according to a new study.

3-D simulation shows how form of complex organs evolves by natural selection Posted: 02 May 2013 07:45 AM PDT Researchers have developed the first three-dimensional simulation of the evolution of morphology by integrating the mechanisms of genetic regulation that take place during embryo development. The study highlights the real complexity of the genetic interactions that lead to adult organisms' phenotypes (physical forms), helps to explain how natural selection influences body form and leads towards much more realistic virtual experiments on evolution.

World-first study predicts epilepsy seizures in humans Posted: 02 May 2013 06:48 AM PDT A small device implanted in the brain has accurately predicted epilepsy seizures in humans in a world-first study.

Primate hibernation more common than previously thought Posted: 02 May 2013 06:47 AM PDT Until recently, the only primate known to hibernate as a survival strategy was a creature called the western fat-tailed dwarf lemur, a tropical tree-dweller from the African island of Madagascar. But it turns out this hibernating lemur isn't alone.

Finding Nematostella: Ancient sea creature shines new light on how animals build an appendage Posted: 02 May 2013 06:35 AM PDT A study of tentacle formation in a sea anemone shows how epithelial cells form elongated structures and puts the spotlight on a new model organism.

An anarchic region of star formation Posted: 02 May 2013 05:22 AM PDT The Danish 1.54-meter telescope located at the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory in Chile has captured a striking image of NGC 6559, an object that showcases the anarchy that reigns when stars form inside an interstellar cloud.

Poison lips? Troubling levels of toxic metals found in cosmetics Posted: 02 May 2013 05:22 AM PDT Researchers found lead, cadmium, chromium, aluminum and five other metals in a sample of 32 different lipsticks and lip glosses commonly found in drugstores and department stores. Some of the metals were detected at levels that could raise potential health concerns.

Bonding with your virtual self may alter your actual perceptions Posted: 02 May 2013 05:22 AM PDT When people create and modify their virtual reality avatars, the hardships faced by their alter egos can influence how they perceive virtual environments, according to researchers.

New brain research shows two parents may be better than one Posted: 01 May 2013 04:32 PM PDT Scientists have discovered that adult brain cell production might be determined, in part, by the early parental environment. The study suggests that dual parenting may be more beneficial than single parenting.

Vitamin D: More may not be better Posted: 01 May 2013 04:29 PM PDT In recent years, healthy people have been bombarded by stories in the media and on health websites warning about the dangers of too-low vitamin D levels, and urging high doses of supplements to protect against everything from hypertension to hardening of the arteries to diabetes.

Protein complex found in human breast milk can help reverse antibiotic resistance in superbugs Posted: 01 May 2013 04:29 PM PDT A protein complex found in human breast milk can help reverse the antibiotic resistance of bacterial species that cause dangerous pneumonia and staph infections, according to new research.

Want to slow mental decay? Play a video game Posted: 01 May 2013 04:29 PM PDT A new study shows that older people can put off the aging of their minds by playing a simple game that primes their processing speed skills. The research showed participants' cognitive skills improved in a range of functions, from improving peripheral vision to problem solving.

Computer algorithms help find cancer connections Posted: 01 May 2013 10:19 AM PDT Using powerful algorithms developed by computer scientists, medical researchers have assembled the most complete genetic profile yet of acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive form of blood cancer.

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