ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• High carbon dioxide spurs wetlands to absorb more carbon
• Heart of space weather observed in action
• Scientists outline long-term sea-level rise in response to warming of planet
• Fear factor: Missing brain enzyme leads to abnormal levels of fear in mice, new research reveals
• Computer as smart as a 4-year-old? Researchers IQ test new artificial intelligence system
• Nesting Gulf of Mexico loggerhead turtles face offshore risks
• Distorted GPS signals reveal hurricane wind speeds
• Great exaptations: Most traits emerge for no crucial reason, scientists find
• Hubble finds new Neptune moon: Smallest known moon in the Neptunian system
• Share robotic frogs help turn a boring mating call into a serenade
• New form of carbon: Grossly warped 'nanographene'
• Phytoplankton social mixers: Tiny ocean plants use turbulence for travel to social gatherings

High carbon dioxide spurs wetlands to absorb more carbon Posted: 15 Jul 2013 05:24 PM PDT Under elevated carbon dioxide levels, wetland plants can absorb up to 32 percent more carbon than they do at current levels, according to a 19-year study just published. With atmospheric carbon dioxide passing the 400 parts-per-million milestone this year, the findings offer hope that wetlands could help soften the blow of climate change.

Heart of space weather observed in action Posted: 15 Jul 2013 01:49 PM PDT Two NASA spacecraft have provided the most comprehensive movie ever of a mysterious process at the heart of all explosions on the sun: magnetic reconnection. Magnetic reconnection happens when magnetic field lines come together, break apart and then exchange partners, snapping into new positions and releasing a jolt of magnetic energy. This process lies at the heart of giant explosions on the sun, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which can fling radiation and particles across the solar system.

Scientists outline long-term sea-level rise in response to warming of planet Posted: 15 Jul 2013 01:48 PM PDT A new study estimates that global sea levels will rise about 2.3 meters, or more than seven feet, over the next several thousand years for every degree (Celsius) the planet warms. This is one of the first analyses to combine four major contributors to potential sea level rise into a collective estimate, and compare it with evidence of past sea-level responses to global temperature changes.

Fear factor: Missing brain enzyme leads to abnormal levels of fear in mice, new research reveals Posted: 15 Jul 2013 01:48 PM PDT A little bit of learned fear is a good thing, keeping us from making risky, stupid decisions or falling over and over again into the same trap. But new research from neuroscientists and molecular biologists shows that a missing brain protein may be the culprit in cases of severe over-worry, where the fear perseveres even when there's nothing of which to be afraid.

Computer as smart as a 4-year-old? Researchers IQ test new artificial intelligence system Posted: 15 Jul 2013 12:10 PM PDT Artificial and natural knowledge researchers IQ-tested one of the best available artificial intelligence systems and learned that it's about as smart as the average 4-year-old.

Nesting Gulf of Mexico loggerhead turtles face offshore risks Posted: 15 Jul 2013 11:18 AM PDT Threatened loggerhead sea turtles in the northern Gulf of Mexico can travel distances up to several hundred miles and visit offshore habitats between nesting events in a single season, taking them through waters impacted by oil and fishing industries.

Distorted GPS signals reveal hurricane wind speeds Posted: 15 Jul 2013 10:56 AM PDT Researchers have found a way to do something completely different with GPS: Measure and map the wind speeds of hurricanes. The new technique could help meteorologists better predict storm severity, how storms form, and where they might be headed.

Great exaptations: Most traits emerge for no crucial reason, scientists find Posted: 15 Jul 2013 10:44 AM PDT By simulating changes in an organism's metabolism, scientists have now shown that most traits may emerge as non-crucial "exaptations" rather than as selection-advantageous adaptations.

Hubble finds new Neptune moon: Smallest known moon in the Neptunian system Posted: 15 Jul 2013 10:20 AM PDT NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a new moon orbiting the distant blue-green planet Neptune, the 14th known to be circling the giant planet.

Share robotic frogs help turn a boring mating call into a serenade Posted: 15 Jul 2013 08:48 AM PDT With the help of a robotic frog, biologists have discovered that two wrong mating calls can make a right for female túngara frogs. The "rather bizarre" result may provide insight into how complex traits evolve by hooking together much simpler traits.

New form of carbon: Grossly warped 'nanographene' Posted: 15 Jul 2013 07:56 AM PDT By introducing multiple odd-membered ring defects into a graphene lattice, researchers have experimentally demonstrated that the electronic properties of graphene can be modified in a predictable manner through precisely controlled chemical synthesis.

Phytoplankton social mixers: Tiny ocean plants use turbulence for travel to social gatherings Posted: 15 Jul 2013 04:03 AM PDT Scientists have shown that the motility of phytoplankton also helps them determine their fate in ocean turbulence.

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