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Saturday, February 15, 2014

ScienceDaily: Top Science News

ScienceDaily: Top Science News

Arctic biodiversity under serious threat from climate change

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 04:55 AM PST

Climate change caused by human activities is by far the worst threat to biodiversity in the Arctic. Some of these changes are already visible. Unique and irreplaceable Arctic wildlife and landscapes are crucially at risk due to global warming caused by human activities according to a new report prepared by 253 scientists from 15 countries.

Superconductivity in orbit: Scientists find new path to loss-free electricity

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:23 AM PST

Researchers have combined atoms with multiple orbitals and precisely pinned down their electron distributions. Using advanced electron diffraction techniques, the scientists discovered that orbital fluctuations in iron-based compounds induce strongly coupled polarizations that can enhance electron pairing -- the essential mechanism behind superconductivity.

Embryology: Scientists crack open 'black box' of development and see a 'rosette'

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:23 AM PST

We know much about how embryos develop, but one key stage -- implantation -- has remained a mystery. Now, scientists have discovered a way to study and film this 'black box' of development. This new method revealed that on its way from ball to cup, the blastocyst becomes a 'rosette' of wedge-shaped cells, a structure never before seen by scientists.

Mixed genes: Interactive world map of human genetic history reveals likely genetic impacts of historical events

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:23 AM PST

When individuals from different groups interbreed, their offspring's DNA becomes a mixture of the DNA from each admixing group. Pieces of this DNA are then passed along through subsequent generations, carrying on all the way to the present day. Researchers have now produced a global map detailing the genetic histories of 95 different populations across the world, spanning the last four millennia.

Crazy ants dominate fire ants by neutralizing their venom

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:22 AM PST

Invasive "crazy ants" are rapidly displacing fire ants in areas across the southeastern US by secreting a compound that neutralizes fire ant venom, according to a new study. It's the first known example of an insect with the ability to detoxify another insect's venom.

Cosmic roadmap to galactic magnetic field revealed

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:22 AM PST

Scientists report that recent, independent measurements have validated one of the IBEX mission's signature findings -- a mysterious "ribbon" of energy and particles at the edge of our solar system that appears to be a directional "roadmap in the sky" of the local interstellar magnetic field.

Graphene's love affair with water: Water filters allow precise and fast sieving of salts and organic molecules

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:22 AM PST

Graphene has proven itself as a wonder material with a vast range of unique properties. Among the least-known marvels of graphene is its strange love affair with water. Graphene is hydrophobic -- it repels water -- but narrow capillaries made from graphene vigorously suck in water allowing its rapid permeation, if the water layer is only one atom thick -- that is, as thin as graphene itself. This bizarre property has attracted intense academic and industrial interest with intent to develop new water filtration and desalination technologies.

America's natural gas system is leaking methane and in need of a fix

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:22 AM PST

The US natural gas system is letting more methane, a potent greenhouse gas, escape into the air than previously thought, a new study confirms.

Mechanism of crude oil heart toxicity on fish revealed from oil spill research

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:22 AM PST

While studying the impact of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill on tuna, a research team discovered that crude oil interrupts a molecular pathway that allows fish heart cells to beat effectively. The components of the pathway are present in the hearts of most animals, including humans.

Robotic construction crew needs no foreman

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:21 AM PST

On the plains of Namibia, millions of tiny termites are building a mound of soil—an 8-foot-tall "lung" for their underground nest. During a year of construction, many termites will live and die, wind and rain will erode the structure, and yet the colony's life-sustaining project will continue. Inspired by the termites' resilience and collective intelligence, a team of computer scientists and engineers has created an autonomous robotic construction crew. The system needs no supervisor, no eye in the sky, and no communication: just simple robots—any number of robots—that cooperate by modifying their environment.

Understanding basic biology of bipolar disorder

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 06:50 AM PST

Instead of only using a standard clinical interview to determine whether individuals met the criteria for a clinical diagnosis of bipolar disorder, researchers combined the results from brain imaging, cognitive testing, and an array of temperament and behavior measures. Using the new method, they and their collaborators have identified about 50 brain and behavioral measures that are both under strong genetic control and associated with bipolar disorder. Their discoveries could be a major step toward identifying the specific genes that contribute to the illness.
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