ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Crocodiles are cleverer than previously thought: Some crocodiles use lures to hunt their prey
• Glimpsing the infrastructure of a gamma-ray burst jet
• Rising ocean acidification leads to anxiety in fish
• Multi-dog study points to canine brain's reward center
• New fossil species found in Mozambique reveals new data on ancient mammal relatives
• IVF improving, but fertility treatments keep multiple births high
• Fledgling supernova remnant reveals neutron star's secrets
• Early tree-dwelling bipedal human ancestor was similar to ancient apes and 'Lucy' but not living apes
• NASA's Cassini spacecraft obtains best views of Saturn hexagon
• Humans threaten wetlands' ability to keep pace with sea-level rise
• Sea-level rise to drive coastal flooding, regardless of change in cyclone activity
• Oldest hominin DNA sequenced: Mitochondrial genome of a 400,000-year-old hominin from Spain decoded
• Industrial age helps some coastal regions capture carbon dioxide, surprise finding shows
• First evidence of primates regularly sleeping in caves
• Mysteries of Earth's radiation belts uncovered by NASA twin spacecraft
• While the Arctic Ocean is largely a carbon sink, parts are also a source of atmospheric carbon dioxide
• First global snapshot of key coral reef fishes: Fishing has reduced vital seaweed eaters by more than 50 percent
• How to change cell types by flipping a single switch
• Dads: How important are they? New research highlights value of fathers in both neurobiology and behavior of offspring
• Ten times more throughput on optic fibers
• Explosive growth of young star
• More extreme weather events likely: Climate projections of unparalleled accuracy for the whole of Europe
• Ocean crust could store many centuries of industrial carbon dioxide
• Depression in pregnant mothers may alter the pattern of brain development in their babies

Crocodiles are cleverer than previously thought: Some crocodiles use lures to hunt their prey Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:24 PM PST Biologists have observed two crocodilian species -- muggers and American alligators -- using twigs and sticks to lure birds, particularly during nest-building time.

Glimpsing the infrastructure of a gamma-ray burst jet Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:24 PM PST A new study using observations from a novel instrument provides the best look to date at magnetic fields at the heart of gamma-ray bursts, the most energetic explosions in the universe. An international team of astronomers has glimpsed the infrastructure of a burst's high-speed jet.

Rising ocean acidification leads to anxiety in fish Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:22 PM PST A new research study combining marine physiology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and behavioral psychology has revealed a surprising outcome from increases of carbon dioxide uptake in the oceans: anxious fish. Scientists have shown for the first time that rising acidity levels increase anxiety in juvenile rockfish, an important commercial species in California.

Multi-dog study points to canine brain's reward center Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:22 PM PST After capturing the first brain images of two alert, unrestrained dogs last year, researchers have confirmed their methods and results by replicating them in an experiment involving 13 dogs. The research showed that most of the dogs had a positive response in the caudate region of the brain when given a hand signal indicating they would receive a food treat, as compared to a different hand signal for "no treat."

New fossil species found in Mozambique reveals new data on ancient mammal relatives Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:18 PM PST In the remote province of Niassa, Mozambique, a new species and genus of fossil vertebrate was found. The species is a distant relative of living mammals and is approximately 256 million years old. This new species belongs to a group of animals called synapsids. Synapsida includes a number of extinct lineages that dominated the communities on land in the Late Permian (260-252 million years ago), as well as living mammals and their direct ancestors.

IVF improving, but fertility treatments keep multiple births high Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:18 PM PST More than one in three twin births and three of four births of triplets or more in the United States arise from fertility treatments, according to new estimates published. Although in-vitro fertilization (IVF) practices have improved to produce fewer triplets or higher-order births than at peak, multiples from non-IVF treatments continue unabated.

Fledgling supernova remnant reveals neutron star's secrets Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:14 PM PST Astronomers have identified the glowing wreck of a star that exploded a mere 2,500 years ago — the blink of an eye in astronomical terms.

Early tree-dwelling bipedal human ancestor was similar to ancient apes and 'Lucy' but not living apes Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:12 PM PST An analysis of the femur of one of the oldest human ancestors reveals the six-million-year-old "Millenium Man" was bipedal but lived in the trees. The research could provide additional insight to the origins of human bipedalism.

NASA's Cassini spacecraft obtains best views of Saturn hexagon Posted: 04 Dec 2013 12:48 PM PST NASA's Cassini spacecraft has obtained the highest-resolution movie yet of a unique six-sided jet stream, known as the hexagon, around Saturn's north pole.

Humans threaten wetlands' ability to keep pace with sea-level rise Posted: 04 Dec 2013 10:20 AM PST Left to themselves, coastal wetlands can withstand rapid levels of sea-level rise. But humans could be sabotaging some of their best defenses, according to a new review.

Sea-level rise to drive coastal flooding, regardless of change in cyclone activity Posted: 04 Dec 2013 10:20 AM PST Though recent studies focus on climate change impacts on intensity and frequency of tropical cyclones, a new review shows that sea level rise and shoreline retreat are the two more certain factors expected to drive an increase in future flood risk.

Oldest hominin DNA sequenced: Mitochondrial genome of a 400,000-year-old hominin from Spain decoded Posted: 04 Dec 2013 10:20 AM PST Using novel techniques to extract and study ancient DNA researchers have determined an almost complete mitochondrial genome sequence of a 400,000-year-old representative of the genus Homo from Sima de los Huesos, a unique cave site in Northern Spain, and found that it is related to the mitochondrial genome of Denisovans, extinct relatives of Neandertals in Asia. DNA this old has until recently been retrieved only from the permafrost.

Industrial age helps some coastal regions capture carbon dioxide, surprise finding shows Posted: 04 Dec 2013 10:09 AM PST Coastal portions of the world's oceans, once believed to be a source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, are now thought to absorb as much as two-thirds more carbon than they emitted in the preindustrial age, researchers estimate.

First evidence of primates regularly sleeping in caves Posted: 04 Dec 2013 09:37 AM PST Scientists have discovered that some ring-tailed lemurs in Madagascar regularly retire to limestone chambers for their nightly snoozes, the first evidence of the consistent, daily use of the same caves and crevices for sleeping among the world's wild primates.

Mysteries of Earth's radiation belts uncovered by NASA twin spacecraft Posted: 04 Dec 2013 09:37 AM PST Just over a year since launch, NASA's Van Allen Probes mission continues to unravel longstanding mysteries of Earth's high-energy radiation belts that encircle our planet and pose hazards to orbiting satellites and astronauts.

While the Arctic Ocean is largely a carbon sink, parts are also a source of atmospheric carbon dioxide Posted: 04 Dec 2013 08:20 AM PST While the Arctic Ocean is largely a carbon sink, researchers find parts are also a source of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The Arctic Ocean as a whole seems to be storing more carbon than in previous years but the increase in the carbon sink may not be as large as scientists had previously thought.

First global snapshot of key coral reef fishes: Fishing has reduced vital seaweed eaters by more than 50 percent Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:16 AM PST Biologists have reported on the impact of fishing on a group of fish known to protect the health of coral reefs. The report offers key data for setting management and conservation targets to protect and preserve fragile coral reefs.

How to change cell types by flipping a single switch Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:16 AM PST With few exceptions, cells don't change type once they have become specialized -- a heart cell, for example, won't suddenly become a brain cell. However, new findings have identified a method for changing one cell type into another in a process called forced transdifferentiation.

Dads: How important are they? New research highlights value of fathers in both neurobiology and behavior of offspring Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:16 AM PST Even with today's technology, it still takes both a male and a female to make a baby. But is it important for both parents to raise that child? Many studies have outlined the value of a mother, but few have clearly defined the importance of a father, until now. New findings show that the absence of a father during critical growth periods, leads to impaired social and behavioral abilities in adults.

Ten times more throughput on optic fibers Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:14 AM PST Two scientists have shown how to achieve a dramatic increase in the capacity of optical fibers. Their simple, innovative solution, generating perfect "Nyquist sinc pulses," reduces the amount of space required between the pulses of light that transport data. The breakthrough could increase the throughput of data in telecommunications systems by a factor of 10.

Explosive growth of young star Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:14 AM PST A star is formed when a large cloud of gas and dust condenses and eventually becomes so dense that it collapses into a ball of gas, where the pressure heats the matter, creating a glowing gas ball -- a star is born. New research shows that a young, newly formed star in the Milky Way had such an explosive growth, that it was initially about 100 times brighter than it is now.

More extreme weather events likely: Climate projections of unparalleled accuracy for the whole of Europe Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:11 AM PST Scientists have analyzed climate projections for the whole of Europe at an unprecedented resolution of 12 km, by downscaling the global simulations carried out for the 5th IPCC report. These simulations for the 21st century now provide a much more detailed representation of local phenomena and extreme events. Initial analyses confirm that there will be a significant increase in the frequency of extreme events, such as heavy rainfall, heatwaves and droughts.

Ocean crust could store many centuries of industrial carbon dioxide Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:11 AM PST Researchers have identified regions beneath the oceans where the igneous rocks of the upper ocean crust could safely store very large volumes of carbon dioxide. The burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas has led to dramatically increasing concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere causing climate change and ocean acidification. Although technologies are being developed to capture CO2 at major sources such as power stations, this will only avoid further warming if that CO2 is then safely locked away from the atmosphere for centuries.

Depression in pregnant mothers may alter the pattern of brain development in their babies Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:09 AM PST Depression is a serious mental illness that has many negative consequences for sufferers. But depression among pregnant women may also have an impact on their developing babies. Children of depressed parents are at an increased risk of developing depression themselves, a combination of both genetic and environmental factors. These children also display alterations in the amygdala, a brain structure important for the regulation of emotion and stress.

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