ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Understanding parallels of human and animal parenting can benefit generations to come
• 9/11 dust cloud may have caused widespread pregnancy issues
• Scientists fold RNA origami from a single strand
• Molecular engineers record an electron's quantum behavior
• Seven tiny grains captured by Stardust likely visitors from interstellar space
• Plants may use newly discovered molecular language to communicate
• A self-organizing thousand-robot swarm
• Reduced testosterone tied to endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure
• Scientists study 'talking' turtles in Brazilian Amazon
• Dark bands in starlight: New Milky Way maps help solve stubborn interstellar material mystery
• Memories of errors foster faster learning
• Parenting from before conception: Babies' health doesn't 'start from scratch'
• Lionfish characteristics make them more 'terminator' than predator
• Newborns' genetic code sends infection distress signal
• Fukushima's legacy: Biological effects of Fukushima radiation on plants, insects, and animals
• Early antibiotic exposure leads to lifelong metabolic disturbances in mice
• Overweight and obesity linked to 10 common cancers, over 12,000 cases every year in UK
• Antarctica's ice discharge could raise sea level faster than previously thought
• Mind and body: Scientists identify immune system link to mental illness
• New species of flying pterosaur: Bones from nearly 50 ancient flying reptiles discovered
• Injected bacteria shrink tumors in rats, dogs and humans
• Common household chemicals responsible for reproductive declines in mice
• Estimated 1.65 million global cardiovascular deaths each year linked to high sodium consumption
• Temporary tattoo biobatteries produce power from sweat

• 'Shape-shifting' material could help reconstruct faces

Understanding parallels of human and animal parenting can benefit generations to come Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:23 PM PDT Strong evidence now shows that human and animal parenting share many nervous system mechanisms. Better understanding this biology could lead to improved social development, benefiting generations of humans and animals to come.

9/11 dust cloud may have caused widespread pregnancy issues Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:23 PM PDT Pregnant women living near the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks experienced negative birth outcomes, according to a new paper. These mothers were more likely to give birth prematurely and deliver babies with low birth weights. Their babies -- especially baby boys -- were also more likely to be admitted to neonatal intensive care units after birth.

Scientists fold RNA origami from a single strand Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:23 PM PDT RNA origami is a new method for organizing molecules on the nanoscale, making it possible to fabricate complicated shapes from a single strand of RNA. Unlike existing methods for folding DNA molecules, RNA origamis are produced by enzymes and simultaneously fold into pre-designed shapes. This may allow designer RNA structures to be grown within living cells and used to organize cellular enzymes into biochemical factories.

Molecular engineers record an electron's quantum behavior Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:21 PM PDT Scientists have developed a technique to record the quantum mechanical behavior of an individual electron contained within a nanoscale defect in diamond. Their technique uses ultrafast pulses of laser light both to control the defect's entire quantum state and observe how that single electron state changes over time.

Seven tiny grains captured by Stardust likely visitors from interstellar space Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:19 PM PDT The 1999 Stardust mission flew by comet Wild-2 in 2004, capturing cometary and interstellar dust, and delivered its dust-loaded collectors to Earth in 2006. Scientists now report preliminary results of their eight-year analysis of the interstellar particles: seven dust motes that likely originated in another solar system less than 100 million years ago. The particles are more diverse than expected, and fluffier, like a tossed salad.

Plants may use newly discovered molecular language to communicate Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:19 PM PDT A scientist has discovered a potentially new form of plant communication, one that allows them to share an extraordinary amount of genetic information with one another. The finding throws open the door to a new arena of science that explores how plants communicate with each other on a molecular level. It also gives scientists new insight into ways to fight parasitic weeds that wreak havoc on food crops in some of the poorest parts of the world.

A self-organizing thousand-robot swarm Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:18 PM PDT The first thousand-robot flash mob has assembled at Harvard University. Just as trillions of individual cells can assemble into an intelligent organism, or a thousand starlings can form a great flowing murmuration across the sky, the Kilobots demonstrate how complexity can arise from very simple behaviors performed en masse. To computer scientists, they also represent a significant milestone in the development of collective artificial intelligence.

Reduced testosterone tied to endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:15 PM PDT Men, women and children exposed to high levels of phthalates -- endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in plastics and some personal care products -– tended to have reduced levels of testosterone in their blood compared to those with lower chemical exposure, according to a new study.

Scientists study 'talking' turtles in Brazilian Amazon Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:15 PM PDT Turtles are well known for their longevity and protective shells, but it turns out these reptiles use sound to stick together and care for young. Scientists working in the Brazilian Amazon have found that Giant South American river turtles actually use several different kinds of vocal communication to coordinate their social behaviors, including one used by female turtles to call to their newly hatched offspring in what is the first instance of recorded parental care in turtles.

Dark bands in starlight: New Milky Way maps help solve stubborn interstellar material mystery Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:13 PM PDT An international team of sky scholars has produced new maps of the material located between the stars in the Milky Way. The results should move astronomers closer to cracking a stardust puzzle that has vexed them for nearly a century.

Memories of errors foster faster learning Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:13 PM PDT Using a deceptively simple set of experiments, researchers have learned why people learn an identical or similar task faster the second, third and subsequent time around. The reason: They are aided not only by memories of how to perform the task, but also by memories of the errors made the first time.

Parenting from before conception: Babies' health doesn't 'start from scratch' Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:13 PM PDT There's now overwhelming evidence that a child's future health is influenced by more than just their parents' genetic material, and that children born of unhealthy parents will already be pre-programmed for greater risk of poor health, according to researchers. "The reality is, the child doesn't quite start from scratch -- they already carry over a legacy of factors from their parents' experiences that can shape development in the fetus and after birth. Depending on the situation, we can give our children a burden before they've even started life," experts say.

Lionfish characteristics make them more 'terminator' than predator Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:45 AM PDT New research on the predatory nature of red lionfish, the invasive species that is decimating native fish populations in parts of the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, seems to indicate that lionfish are not just a predator, but more like the 'terminator' of movie fame. In behavior that is called 'alarming,' it appears that in some cases lionfish will continue to hunt until the last fish of a local population is dead.

Newborns' genetic code sends infection distress signal Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:45 AM PDT Babies suffering from life-threatening bacterial infections such as sepsis could benefit from improved treatment, thanks to a ground-breaking study. For the first time, researchers have been able to detect and decode a signal generated from a baby's DNA that can tell doctors whether or not a bacterial infection is present in the bloodstream. The findings could help develop a test for bacterial infection in newborns, using a single drop of blood.

Fukushima's legacy: Biological effects of Fukushima radiation on plants, insects, and animals Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:45 AM PDT Scientists began gathering biological information only a few months after the disastrous 2011 meltdown of the Fukushima power plant in Japan. Results of these studies are now beginning to reveal serious biological effects of the Fukushima radiation on non-human organisms ranging from plants to butterflies to birds.

Early antibiotic exposure leads to lifelong metabolic disturbances in mice Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:34 AM PDT Antibiotic exposure during a critical window of early development disrupts the bacterial landscape of the gut, home to trillions of diverse microbes, and permanently reprograms the body's metabolism, setting up a predisposition to obesity, according to a new study. Moreover, the research shows that it is altered gut bacteria, rather than the antibiotics, driving the metabolic effects.

Overweight and obesity linked to 10 common cancers, over 12,000 cases every year in UK Posted: 13 Aug 2014 09:08 PM PDT A higher body mass index (BMI) increases the risk of developing 10 of the most common cancers, the largest study of its kind on BMI and cancer, involving more than 5 million adults in the UK, shows. Each 5 kg/m² increase in BMI was clearly linked with higher risk of cancers of the uterus (62% increase), gallbladder (31%), kidney (25%), cervix (10%), thyroid (9%), and leukemia (9%). Higher BMI also increased the overall risk of liver, colon, ovarian, and breast cancers.

Antarctica's ice discharge could raise sea level faster than previously thought Posted: 13 Aug 2014 03:22 PM PDT Ice discharge from Antarctica could contribute up to 37 centimeters to the global sea level rise within this century, a new study shows. For the first time, an international team of scientists provide a comprehensive estimate on the full range of Antarctica's potential contribution to global sea level rise based on physical computer simulations. The study combines a whole set of state-of-the-art climate models and observational data with various ice models.

Mind and body: Scientists identify immune system link to mental illness Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:42 PM PDT Children with high everyday levels of a protein released into the blood in response to infection are at greater risk of developing depression and psychosis in adulthood, according to new research that suggests a role for the immune system in mental illness. The study indicates that mental illness and chronic physical illness such as coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes may share common biological mechanisms.

New species of flying pterosaur: Bones from nearly 50 ancient flying reptiles discovered Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:42 PM PDT Scientists discovered the bones of nearly 50 winged reptiles from a new species, Caiuajara dobruskii, that lived during the Cretaceous in southern Brazil.

Injected bacteria shrink tumors in rats, dogs and humans Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:39 PM PDT A modified version of the Clostridium novyi (C. novyi-NT) bacterium can produce a strong and precisely targeted anti-tumor response in rats, dogs and now humans, according to a new report. In its natural form, C. novyi is found in the soil and, in certain cases, can cause tissue-damaging infection in cattle, sheep and humans. The microbe thrives only in oxygen-poor environments, which makes it a targeted means of destroying oxygen-starved cells in tumors that are difficult to treat with chemotherapy and radiation.

Common household chemicals responsible for reproductive declines in mice Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:36 PM PDT Researchers who were using a disinfectant when handling mice have discovered that two active ingredients in it cause declines in mouse reproduction. The ingredients are found in commercial and householder cleaners, disinfectants, hand sanitizers, preservatives in makeup and other cosmetics, fabric softeners, and dryer sheets. "If these chemicals are toxic to humans, they could also be contributing to the decline in human fertility seen in recent decades, as well as the increased need for assistive reproductive technologies such as in-vitro fertilization," one researcher said.

Estimated 1.65 million global cardiovascular deaths each year linked to high sodium consumption Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:36 PM PDT More than 1.6 million cardiovascular-related deaths per year can be attributed to sodium consumption above the World Health Organization's recommendation of 2.0 grams per day, researchers have found in a new analysis of populations across 187 countries.

Temporary tattoo biobatteries produce power from sweat Posted: 13 Aug 2014 07:31 AM PDT In the future, working up a sweat by exercising may not only be good for your health, but it could also power your small electronic devices. Researchers have designed a sensor in the form of a temporary tattoo that can both monitor a person's progress during exercise and produce power from their perspiration.

'Shape-shifting' material could help reconstruct faces Posted: 13 Aug 2014 07:30 AM PDT Injuries, birth defects or surgery to remove a tumor can create large gaps in bone. And when they occur in the head, face or jaw, these defects can dramatically alter a person's appearance. Researchers have now developed a "self-fitting" material that expands with warm salt water to precisely fill bone defects, and also acts as a scaffold for bone growth.

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