ScienceDaily: Top Science News

---

• Mars: Gusev Crater once held a lake after all
• Scalable, universal quantum computer? Quantum information processed with system comprising optical photon and trapped atom
• Genetic circuits: Bacterial 'FM radio' created
• Scientists reconstruct ancient impact that dwarfs dinosaur-extinction blast
• Study tests theory that life originated at deep sea vents
• Chance meeting creates celestial diamond ring
• Neanderthals were no strangers to good parenting
• Novel ultra-fast electrical circuits use light-generated tunneling currents
• Scale model WWII craft takes flight with fuel from the sea concept
• Processing new information during sleep compromises memory
• Lipid levels during prenatal brain development impact autism, study shows
• Why auditory pitch and spatial elevation get high together: Shape of human ear may have evolved to mirror acoustics in natural world
• New light shed on key bacterial immune system

Mars: Gusev Crater once held a lake after all Posted: 09 Apr 2014 12:57 PM PDT Evidence for an ancient 'Lake Gusev' on Mars has come and gone several times. That lake is looking pretty good today, thanks to new research. New research suggests floodwaters entered the crater through the huge valley that breaches Gusev's southern rim. These floods appear to have ponded long enough to alter the tephra, producing briny solutions. When the brines evaporated, they left behind residues of carbonate minerals. As the lake filled and dried, perhaps many times in succession, it loaded Comanche and its neighbor rocks with carbonates.

Scalable, universal quantum computer? Quantum information processed with system comprising optical photon and trapped atom Posted: 09 Apr 2014 12:57 PM PDT When it comes to recognizing complex patterns or to decoding encrypted messages, conventional computers reach their limits. A whole new quality in the communication and processing of data is expected from a technology that exploits the special properties of quantum particles such as superposition and entanglement. Scientists around the world pursue a variety of different concepts towards the development of such a quantum computer. One professor follows the strategy of combining two rather dissimilar techniques: quantum communication using photons, and information processing using stationary atoms. His team has now for the first time realized a quantum logic gate between a single photon and a single atom.

Genetic circuits: Bacterial 'FM radio' created Posted: 09 Apr 2014 10:47 AM PDT A team of biologists and engineers has developed a 'rapid and tunable post-translational coupling' for genetic circuits.

Scientists reconstruct ancient impact that dwarfs dinosaur-extinction blast Posted: 09 Apr 2014 09:58 AM PDT Picture this: A massive asteroid almost as wide as Rhode Island and about three to five times larger than the rock thought to have wiped out the dinosaurs slams into Earth. The collision punches a crater into the planet's crust that's nearly 500 kilometers (about 300 miles) across: greater than the distance from Washington, D.C. to New York City, and up to two and a half times larger in diameter than the hole formed by the dinosaur-killing asteroid.

Study tests theory that life originated at deep sea vents Posted: 09 Apr 2014 06:43 AM PDT One of the greatest mysteries facing humans is how life originated on Earth. Scientists have determined approximately when life began, roughly 3.8 billion years ago, but there is still intense debate about exactly how life began. One possibility -- that simple metabolic reactions emerged near ancient seafloor hot springs, enabling the leap from a non-living to a living world -- has grown in popularity in the last two decades.

Chance meeting creates celestial diamond ring Posted: 09 Apr 2014 06:42 AM PDT Astronomers have captured an eye-catching image of planetary nebula PN A66 33 -- usually known as Abell 33. Created when an aging star blew off its outer layers, this beautiful blue bubble is, by chance, aligned with a foreground star, and bears an uncanny resemblance to a diamond engagement ring. This cosmic gem is unusually symmetric, appearing to be almost circular on the sky.

Neanderthals were no strangers to good parenting Posted: 09 Apr 2014 06:39 AM PDT Archaeologists are challenging the traditional view that Neanderthal childhood was difficult, short and dangerous. A new and distinctive perspective suggests that Neanderthal children experienced strong emotional attachments with their immediate social group, used play to develop skills and played a significant role in their society.

Novel ultra-fast electrical circuits use light-generated tunneling currents Posted: 09 Apr 2014 06:36 AM PDT Scientists have successfully designed and fabricated electrical circuits that can operate at hundreds of terahertz frequencies, which is tens of thousands times faster than today's state-of-the-art microprocessors.

Scale model WWII craft takes flight with fuel from the sea concept Posted: 09 Apr 2014 04:59 AM PDT Navy researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Materials Science and Technology Division, demonstrate proof-of-concept of novel NRL technologies developed for the recovery of carbon dioxide and hydrogen from seawater and conversion to a liquid hydrocarbon fuel.

Processing new information during sleep compromises memory Posted: 08 Apr 2014 06:33 PM PDT New research highlights the important role sleep plays in strengthening and maintaining the accuracy of a memory and hints at why the brain shuts out sensory information during periods of deep sleep. The study found that introducing new odor information to an animal while it sleeps compromises its ability to remember the difference between new and previously encountered smells while awake.

Lipid levels during prenatal brain development impact autism, study shows Posted: 08 Apr 2014 10:50 AM PDT Abnormal levels of lipid molecules in the brain can affect the interaction between two key neural pathways in early prenatal brain development, which can trigger autism, researchers have found in a groundbreaking study. And, environmental causes such as exposure to chemicals in some cosmetics and common over-the-counter medication can affect the levels of these lipids, according to the researchers.

Why auditory pitch and spatial elevation get high together: Shape of human ear may have evolved to mirror acoustics in natural world Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:14 AM PDT Have you ever wondered why most natural languages invariably use the same spatial attributes -- high versus low -- to describe auditory pitch? Or why, throughout the history of musical notation, high notes have been represented high on the staff? According to neuroscientists, high pitched sounds feel 'high' because, in our daily lives, sounds coming from high elevations are indeed more likely to be higher in pitch.

New light shed on key bacterial immune system Posted: 07 Apr 2014 12:39 PM PDT New insights into a surprisingly flexible immune system present in bacteria for combating viruses and other foreign DNA invaders has been revealed by researchers. The findings demonstrate that some bacterial immune systems are much more robust and responsive than previously thought, and have implications for improving our understanding of bacterial evolution, including the spread of antibiotic resistance genes.

You are subscribed to email updates from All Top News -- ScienceDaily To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610