ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Scientists change butterflies wing color in just six generations
• Drug reverses brain deficits of Alzheimer's in animal model
• New clues to repairing an injured spinal cord
• Common chemical in mothers may negatively affect the IQ of their unborn children
• Social networking key to helping bugs spread, study shows
• LEDs made from 'wonder material' perovskite
• Grizzly research offers surprising insights into diabetes-obesity link
• Planet-like object may have spent its youth as hot as a star
• Sulfur signals in Antarctic snow reveal clues to climate, past and future
• Horses communicate with eyes and mobile ears

Scientists change butterflies wing color in just six generations Posted: 05 Aug 2014 12:10 PM PDT Scientists have chosen the most fleeting of mediums for their groundbreaking work on biomimicry: They've changed the color of butterfly wings. In so doing, they produced the first structural color change in an animal by influencing evolution. The discovery may have implications for physicists and engineers trying to use evolutionary principles in the design of new materials and devices.

Drug reverses brain deficits of Alzheimer's in animal model Posted: 05 Aug 2014 12:08 PM PDT Researchers have discovered a new drug compound that reverses the brain deficits of Alzheimer's disease in an animal model. The compound, TC-2153, inhibits the negative effects of a protein called STtriatal-Enriched tyrosine Phosphatase (STEP), which is key to regulating learning and memory.

New clues to repairing an injured spinal cord Posted: 05 Aug 2014 12:06 PM PDT Frogs, dogs, whales, snails can all do it, but humans and primates can't. Regrow nerves after an injury, that is -- while many animals have this ability, humans don't. But new research suggests that a small molecule may be able to convince damaged nerves to grow and effectively rewire circuits. Such a feat could eventually lead to therapies for the thousands of Americans with severe spinal cord injuries and paralysis. Scientists hope to borrow strategy from simpler animals to repair damaged spinal cord nerves in humans.

Common chemical in mothers may negatively affect the IQ of their unborn children Posted: 05 Aug 2014 10:25 AM PDT In some women, abnormally high levels of a common and pervasive chemical may lead to adverse effects in their offspring, researchers report. The study is the first of its kind to shed light on the possible harmful side effects of perchlorate in mothers and their children. "The reason people really care about perchlorate is because it is ubiquitous. It's everywhere," said one investigator. "Prior studies have already shown perchlorate, at low levels, can be found in each and every one of us."

Social networking key to helping bugs spread, study shows Posted: 05 Aug 2014 10:21 AM PDT Fresh discoveries about how bacteria co-operate with each other when causing infection could help scientists identify animal diseases that might transmit to people. Bugs that can co-operate best with each other are most likely to be able to jump to new species, including humans, a new study shows.

LEDs made from 'wonder material' perovskite Posted: 05 Aug 2014 10:21 AM PDT Colourful LEDs made from a material known as perovskite could lead to LED displays which are both cheaper and easier to manufacture in future. A hybrid form of perovskite -- the same type of material which has recently been found to make highly efficient solar cells that could one day replace silicon -- has been used to make low-cost, easily manufactured LEDs, potentially opening up a wide range of commercial applications in future, such as flexible color displays.

Grizzly research offers surprising insights into diabetes-obesity link Posted: 05 Aug 2014 10:19 AM PDT Researchers studying grizzly bears have now discovered a natural state of diabetes that serves a real biological purpose and is also reversible. Investigators note that grizzly bears are obese but not diabetic in the fall, become diabetic only weeks later in hibernation, and then become 'cured' of diabetes in the spring. The research reveals how natural biology can teach us new things about how animals naturally cope with conditions that would cause disease in humans.

Planet-like object may have spent its youth as hot as a star Posted: 05 Aug 2014 07:25 AM PDT Astronomers have discovered an extremely cool object that could have a particularly diverse history - although it is now as cool as a planet, it may have spent much of its youth as hot as a star. The current temperature of the object is 100-150 degrees Celsius, intermediate between that of the Earth and Venus. But the object shows evidence of a possible ancient origin, implying that a large change in temperature has taken place.

Sulfur signals in Antarctic snow reveal clues to climate, past and future Posted: 04 Aug 2014 12:14 PM PDT Atmospheric chemists were surprised to see anomalous ratios of sulfur isotopes in sulfate deposited during worldwide wildfires following the super ENSO of '97 to '98, an event that marked the beginning of an apparent hiatus in global warming. Their analysis of the photochemistry that left this trace also revealed the importance of an overlooked reaction that could alter ideas about the oxygen state of Earth's early atmosphere.

Horses communicate with eyes and mobile ears Posted: 04 Aug 2014 09:30 AM PDT Horses are sensitive to the facial expressions and attention of other horses, including the direction of the eyes and ears. The findings are a reminder for us humans to look beyond our own limitations and recognize that other species may communicate in ways that we can't, the researchers say. After all, human ears aren't mobile.

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