RefBan

Referral Banners

Monday, February 17, 2014

ScienceDaily: Top Science News

ScienceDaily: Top Science News

Study on flu evolution may change textbooks, history books

Posted: 16 Feb 2014 12:17 PM PST

A new study reconstructing the evolutionary tree of flu viruses challenges conventional wisdom and solves some of the mysteries surrounding flu outbreaks of historical significance. The study challenges several tenets of conventional wisdom, for example the notion that the virus moves largely unidirectionally from wild birds to domestic birds rather than with spillover in the other direction. It also helps resolve the origin of the virus that caused the unprecedentedly severe influenza pandemic of 1918.

New 'pomegranate-inspired' design solves problems for lithium-ion batteries

Posted: 16 Feb 2014 12:17 PM PST

A novel battery electrode features silicon nanoparticles clustered like pomegranate seeds in a tough carbon rind. The design could enable smaller, lighter rechargeable batteries for electric cars, cell phones and other devices.

Researchers rejuvenate stem cell population from elderly mice, enabling muscle recovery

Posted: 16 Feb 2014 12:17 PM PST

Researchers have pinpointed why normal aging is accompanied by a diminished ability to regain strength and mobility after muscle injury: over time, stem cells within muscle tissues dedicated to repairing damage become less able to generate new muscle fibers and struggle to self-renew. Scientists identified for the first time a process by which the older muscle stem cell populations can be rejuvenated to function like younger cells.

Volcanoes, including Mt. Hood, can go from dormant to active in a few months

Posted: 16 Feb 2014 12:17 PM PST

A new study suggests that the magma sitting 4-5 kilometers beneath the surface of Oregon's Mount Hood has been stored in near-solid conditions for thousands of years, but that the time it takes to liquefy and potentially erupt is surprisingly short -- perhaps as little as a couple of months.

Fertilization destabilizes global grassland ecosystems

Posted: 16 Feb 2014 12:17 PM PST

Fertilization of natural grasslands -- either intentionally or unintentionally as a side effect of global farming and industry -- is having a destabilizing effect on global grassland ecosystems. Using a network of natural grassland research sites around the world called the Nutrient Network, the study represents the first time such a large experiment has been conducted using naturally occurring sites. The researchers found that plant diversity in natural ecosystems creates more stable ecosystems over time because of less synchronized growth of plants.

Responding to potential asteroid redirect mission targets

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 07:57 AM PST

One year ago, on Feb. 15, 2013, the world witnessed the dangers presented by near-Earth Objects (NEOs) when a relatively small asteroid entered Earth's atmosphere, exploding over Chelyabinsk, Russia, and releasing more energy than a large atomic bomb. Tracking near-Earth asteroids has been a significant endeavor for NASA and the broader astronomical community, which has discovered 10,713 known near-Earth objects to date. NASA is now pursuing new partnerships and collaborations in an Asteroid Grand Challenge to accelerate NASA's existing planetary defense work, which will help find all asteroid threats to human population and know what to do about them. In parallel, NASA is developing an Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) -- a first-ever mission to identify, capture and redirect an asteroid to a safe orbit of Earth's moon for future exploration by astronauts in the 2020s.
Posted by

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)