ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Smarter than a first-grader? Crows can perform as well as 7- to 10-year-olds on cause-and-effect water displacement tasks
• Gene inhibitor, salmon fibrin restore function lost in spinal cord injury
• Dog jealousy: Study suggests primordial origins for the 'green-eyed monster'
• 3-D image of Paleolithic child's skull reveals trauma, brain damage
• Major impact of climate change on Antarctic fur seals
• Age of puberty in girls influenced by which parent 'imprinted' genes are inherited from
• Genetics of cancer: Non-coding DNA can finally be decoded
• How much magma is hiding beneath our feet? Mysteries of Earth's crust pierced
• Strategy proposed for preventing diseases of aging
• New approach in search for extraterrestrial intelligence: Target alien polluters
• Satellite galaxies put astronomers in a spin
• Life expectancy gains threatened as more older Americans suffer from multiple medical conditions

Smarter than a first-grader? Crows can perform as well as 7- to 10-year-olds on cause-and-effect water displacement tasks Posted: 23 Jul 2014 03:08 PM PDT In Aesop's fable about the crow and the pitcher, a thirsty bird happens upon a vessel of water, but when he tries to drink from it, he finds the water level out of his reach. Not strong enough to knock over the pitcher, the bird drops pebbles into it -- one at a time -- until the water level rises enough for him to drink his fill. New research demonstrates the birds' intellectual prowess may be more fact than fiction.

Gene inhibitor, salmon fibrin restore function lost in spinal cord injury Posted: 23 Jul 2014 11:18 AM PDT A therapy combining salmon fibrin injections into the spinal cord and injections of a gene inhibitor into the brain restored voluntary motor function impaired by spinal cord injury, scientists have found. In a study on rodents, researchers achieved this breakthrough by turning back the developmental clock in a molecular pathway critical to the formation of corticospinal tract nerve connections and providing a scaffold so that neuronal axons at the injury site could grow and link up again.

Dog jealousy: Study suggests primordial origins for the 'green-eyed monster' Posted: 23 Jul 2014 11:17 AM PDT Dogs exhibit jealous behaviors. The first experimental test of jealousy in dogs supports the view that there may be a more basic form of jealousy, which evolved to protect social bonds from interlopers.

3-D image of Paleolithic child's skull reveals trauma, brain damage Posted: 23 Jul 2014 11:17 AM PDT Three-dimensional imaging of a Paleolithic child's skull reveals potentially violent head trauma that likely lead to brain damage.

Major impact of climate change on Antarctic fur seals Posted: 23 Jul 2014 10:14 AM PDT Genetic analysis of Antarctic fur seals, alongside decades of in-depth monitoring, has provided unique insights into the effect of climate change on a population of top-predators. The findings show that the seals have significantly altered in accordance with changes in food availability that are associated with climate conditions. Despite a shift in the population towards 'fitter' individuals, this fitness is not passing down through generations, leaving the population in decline.

Age of puberty in girls influenced by which parent 'imprinted' genes are inherited from Posted: 23 Jul 2014 10:14 AM PDT The age at which girls reach sexual maturity is influenced by 'imprinted' genes, a small sub-set of genes whose activity differs depending on which parent passes on that gene, according to new research.

Genetics of cancer: Non-coding DNA can finally be decoded Posted: 23 Jul 2014 10:14 AM PDT Cancer is a disease of the genome resulting from a combination of genetic modifications, or mutations. We inherit from our parents strong or weak predispositions to developing certain kinds of cancer; in addition, we also accumulate new mutations in our cells throughout our lifetime. Although the genetic origins of cancers have been studied for a long time, researchers were not able to measure the role of non-coding regions of the genome until now.

How much magma is hiding beneath our feet? Mysteries of Earth's crust pierced Posted: 23 Jul 2014 10:13 AM PDT Molten rock, or magma, has a strong influence on our planet and its inhabitants, causing destructive volcanic eruptions and generating some of the giant mineral deposits. Our understanding of these phenomena is, however, limited by the fact that most magma cools and solidifies several kilometers beneath our feet, only to be exposed at the surface, millions of years later, by erosion.

Strategy proposed for preventing diseases of aging Posted: 23 Jul 2014 10:12 AM PDT Researchers argue that medicine focuses too much on fighting diseases individually instead of concentrating on interventions that prevent multiple chronic diseases and extend healthy lifespan. They call for moving forward with strategies that have been shown to delay aging in animals. In addition to promoting a healthy diet and regular exercise, these strategies include manipulating molecular pathways that slow aging and promote healthy longevity.

New approach in search for extraterrestrial intelligence: Target alien polluters Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:12 AM PDT Humanity is on the threshold of being able to detect signs of alien life on other worlds. By studying exoplanet atmospheres, we can look for gases like oxygen and methane that only coexist if replenished by life. But those gases come from simple life forms like microbes. What about advanced civilizations? Would they leave any detectable signs? They might, if they spew industrial pollution into the atmosphere.

Satellite galaxies put astronomers in a spin Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:08 AM PDT Astronomers have studied 380 galaxies and shown that their small satellite galaxies almost always move in rotating discs. However, such satellite galaxy discs are not predicted by current models of the formation of structures in the Universe. This discovery could cause modelers serious headaches in the years ahead.

Life expectancy gains threatened as more older Americans suffer from multiple medical conditions Posted: 23 Jul 2014 07:59 AM PDT With nearly four in five older Americans living with multiple chronic medical conditions, a new study finds that the more ailments you have after retirement age, the shorter your life expectancy. The analysis, one of the first to examine the burden of multiple chronic conditions on life expectancy among the elderly, may help explain why increases in life expectancy among older Americans are slowing.

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