ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

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• Little Foot is oldest complete Australopithecus, new stratigraphic research shows
• Autism, intellectual disability incidence linked with environmental factors
• Turning raw natural gas into upgraded liquid alcohol fuel
• Human brains 'hard-wired' to link what we see with what we do
• Africans' ability to digest milk linked to spread of cattle raising
• Commonly used pain relievers have added benefit of fighting bacterial infection
• New fossil species reveals parental care of young from 450 million years ago
• Soft robotic fish moves like the real thing: New robotic fish can change direction almost as rapidly as a real fish
• 'Master regulator' of obesity? Distant IRX3 gene appears to interact with obesity-related FTO gene mutations
• Timid jumping spider uses ant as bodyguard

Little Foot is oldest complete Australopithecus, new stratigraphic research shows Posted: 14 Mar 2014 08:15 AM PDT After 13 years of meticulous excavation of the nearly complete skeleton of the Australopithecus fossil named Little Foot, South African and French scientists have now convincingly shown that it is probably around 3 million years old.

Autism, intellectual disability incidence linked with environmental factors Posted: 13 Mar 2014 02:29 PM PDT An analysis of 100 million US medical records reveals that autism and intellectual disability rates correlate with genital malformation incidence in newborn males, an indicator exposure to harmful environmental factors. The study also finds that Autism and intellectual disability incidence decreases dramatically in states with stronger regulations on diagnosis.

Turning raw natural gas into upgraded liquid alcohol fuel Posted: 13 Mar 2014 11:26 AM PDT Chemists have discovered of a new way to turn raw natural gas into upgraded liquid alcohol fuel. The process uses ordinary 'main group' metals like thallium and lead to trigger the conversion of natural gas to liquid alcohol. The process occurs at far lower temperatures than current industry practices. This could help reduce dependence on petroleum.

Human brains 'hard-wired' to link what we see with what we do Posted: 13 Mar 2014 09:31 AM PDT Your brain's ability to instantly link what you see with what you do is down to a dedicated information 'highway,' suggests new research. For the first time, researchers have found evidence of a specialized mechanism for spatial self-awareness that combines visual cues with body motion. The newly-discovered system could explain why some schizophrenia patients feel like their actions are controlled by someone else.

Africans' ability to digest milk linked to spread of cattle raising Posted: 13 Mar 2014 09:31 AM PDT A new study -- constituting the largest investigation ever of lactose tolerance in geographically diverse populations of Africans -- investigated the genetic origins of this trait and offers support to the idea that the ability to digest milk was a powerful selective force in a variety of African populations which raised cattle and consumed the animals' fresh milk.

Commonly used pain relievers have added benefit of fighting bacterial infection Posted: 13 Mar 2014 09:31 AM PDT Some commonly used drugs that combat aches and pains, fever, and inflammation are also thought to have the ability to kill bacteria. New research reveals that these drugs, better known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, act on bacteria in a way that is fundamentally different from current antibiotics. The discovery could open up new strategies for fighting drug-resistant infections and 'superbugs.'

New fossil species reveals parental care of young from 450 million years ago Posted: 13 Mar 2014 09:27 AM PDT A portrait of prehistoric parenthood captured deep in the fossil record has been uncovered by an international team of scientists. The 'nursery in the sea' has revealed a species new to science -- with specimens preserved incubating their eggs together with probable hatched individuals. As a result, the team has named the new species Luprisca incuba after Lucina, goddess of childbirth, and alluding to the fact that the fossils are ancient and in each case the mother was literally sitting on her eggs.

Soft robotic fish moves like the real thing: New robotic fish can change direction almost as rapidly as a real fish Posted: 13 Mar 2014 07:17 AM PDT Soft robots don't just have soft exteriors but are also powered by fluid flowing through flexible channels. Researchers now report the first self-contained autonomous soft robot capable of rapid body motion: a "fish" that can execute an escape maneuver, convulsing its body to change direction in just a fraction of a second, or almost as quickly as a real fish can.

'Master regulator' of obesity? Distant IRX3 gene appears to interact with obesity-related FTO gene mutations Posted: 12 Mar 2014 12:00 PM PDT Mutations within the gene FTO have been implicated as the strongest genetic determinant of obesity risk in humans, but the mechanism behind this link remained unknown. Now, an international team of scientists has discovered that the obesity-associated elements within FTO interact with IRX3, a distant gene on the genome that appears to be the functional obesity gene. The FTO gene itself appears to have only a peripheral effect on obesity.

Timid jumping spider uses ant as bodyguard Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:06 AM PDT Ants are the unlikely guardians of jumping spiders in their battle against aggressive spitting spiders. A timid jumping spider uses the scent of ants as a secret weapon to save itself from becoming the somewhat soggy prey of the predatory spitting spider. The downside to this plan is that jumping spiders are also a favorite snack of its very own saviors. To overcome this additional hazard, the spider has made yet another plan in the form of an ant-proof nest.

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