ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Microscopic worms could hold the key to living life on Mars
• Efficiency metrics for energy storage devices need standardization
• Lava fingerprinting reveals differences between Hawaii's twin volcanoes
• Abstinence-only education does not lead to abstinent behavior, researchers find
• 3-D printer used to make bone-like material
• High blood sugar levels in older women linked to colorectal cancer
• NASA's Nanosail-D 'sails' home -- mission complete
• Growing knowledge in space: Studying what effects microgravity has on plant cell walls, root growth patterns and gene regulation
• FLEX-ible insight into flame behavior
• A smarter way to make ultraviolet light beams
• Crash experts find car seats protect overweight kids, too
• Downtown residential soil samples (in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.) found to contain industrial pollutants
• Preclinical effectiveness of TB drug target validated
• Making a light-harvesting antenna from scratch
• Gene acts as a brake on breast cancer progression
• Gray matter in brain's control center linked to ability to process reward; Structure-function impairments observed in people addicted to cocaine
• Madagascar dinosaur bone is most massive osteoderm ever found
• Graphene lights up with new possibilities: Two-step technique makes graphene suitable for organic chemistry
• Genetic buzzer-beater genes may save fish
• E. coli bacteria engineered to eat switchgrass and make transportation fuels
• 'Skin bones' helped large dinosaurs survive, new study says
• Seeking to be the 'perfect parent' not always good for new moms and dads
• Medical marijuana laws reduce traffic deaths, preliminary research suggests
• New thinking required on wildlife disease, experts say
• Is there a central brain area for hearing melodies and speech cues? Still an open question
• Imperfections may improve graphene sensors
• 'Look at that!' Ravens gesture with their beaks to point out objects to each other
• Lightning-made waves in Earth's atmosphere leak into space
• Walnut trees may not be able to withstand climate change
• Honey bee mystery protein is a 'freight train' for health and lifespan
• Environment and diet leave their prints on the heart
• Frequent 'heading' in soccer can lead to brain injury and cognitive impairment
• The interplay of dancing electrons
• New findings about unwanted fungal growth on dry-cured meat products
• Big success with tiny crystals

Microscopic worms could hold the key to living life on Mars Posted: 29 Nov 2011 04:31 PM PST The astrophysicist Stephen Hawking believes that if humanity is to survive we will have up sticks and colonize space. But is the human body up to the challenge? Scientists believe that Caenorhabditis elegans, a microscopic worm which has biologically similarities to human beings, could help us understand how humans might cope with long-duration space exploration.

Efficiency metrics for energy storage devices need standardization Posted: 29 Nov 2011 03:59 PM PST Solving the mystery of prematurely dead cell phone and laptop batteries may prove to be a vital step toward creating a sustainable energy grid according to researchers. Scientists now call for a new, standardized gauge of performance measurement for energy storage devices.

Lava fingerprinting reveals differences between Hawaii's twin volcanoes Posted: 29 Nov 2011 03:59 PM PST Hawaii's main volcano chains -- the Loa and Kea trends -- have distinct sources of magma and unique plumbing systems connecting them to the Earth's deep mantle, according to new research.

Abstinence-only education does not lead to abstinent behavior, researchers find Posted: 29 Nov 2011 03:59 PM PST States that prescribe abstinence-only sex education programs in public schools have significantly higher teenage pregnancy and birth rates than states with more comprehensive sex education programs, researchers have determined.

3-D printer used to make bone-like material Posted: 29 Nov 2011 03:59 PM PST It looks like bone. It feels like bone. For the most part, it acts like bone. And it came off an inkjet printer. Researchers have used a 3-D printer to create a bone-like material that can be used in orthopedic procedures, dental work, and to deliver medicine for treating osteoporosis. Paired with actual bone, it acts as a scaffold for new bone to grow on and ultimately dissolves with no apparent ill effects.

High blood sugar levels in older women linked to colorectal cancer Posted: 29 Nov 2011 03:59 PM PST Elevated blood sugar levels are associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer, according to a new study. The findings were observed in nearly 5,000 postmenopausal women.

NASA's Nanosail-D 'sails' home -- mission complete Posted: 29 Nov 2011 03:31 PM PST After spending more than 240 days "sailing" around Earth, NASA's NanoSail-D -- a nanosatellite that deployed NASA's first-ever solar sail in low-Earth orbit -- has successfully completed its Earth orbiting mission. Launched to space Nov. 19, 2010 as a payload on NASA's FASTSAT, a small satellite, NanoSail-D's sail deployed on Jan. 20. The flight phase of the mission successfully demonstrated a deorbit capability that could potentially be used to bring down decommissioned satellites and space debris by re-entering and totally burning up in Earth's atmosphere. The team continues to analyze the orbital data to determine how future satellites can use this new technology.

Growing knowledge in space: Studying what effects microgravity has on plant cell walls, root growth patterns and gene regulation Posted: 29 Nov 2011 03:30 PM PST Plants are critical in supporting life on Earth, and with help from an experiment that flew onboard space shuttle Discovery's STS-131 mission, they also could transform living in space. NASA's Kennedy Space Center partnered with the University of Florida, Miami University in Ohio and Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation to perform three different experiments in microgravity. The studies concentrated on the effects microgravity has on plant cell walls, root growth patterns and gene regulation within the plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Each of the studies has future applications on Earth and in space exploration.

FLEX-ible insight into flame behavior Posted: 29 Nov 2011 03:29 PM PST Whether free-burning or smoldering, uncontrolled fire can threaten life and destroy property. On Earth, a little water, maybe some chemicals, and the fire is smothered. In space, where there is no up or down, flames behave in unconventional ways. And when your entire world is the size of a five-bedroom home like the International Space Station, putting out even a small fire quickly is a life-and-death matter. Since March 2009, NASA's Flame Extinguishment Experiment, or FLEX, has conducted more than 200 tests to better understand the fundamentals of flames and how best to suppress fire in space. The investigation is currently ongoing aboard the space station.

A smarter way to make ultraviolet light beams Posted: 29 Nov 2011 01:29 PM PST Existing coherent ultraviolet light sources are power hungry, bulky and expensive. Researchers have found a better way to build compact ultraviolet sources with low power consumption that could improve information storage, microscopy and chemical analysis.

Crash experts find car seats protect overweight kids, too Posted: 29 Nov 2011 01:29 PM PST Researchers have found no evidence of increased injury risk among crash-involved children across a broad weight range, when they were properly restrained in the correct child safety seat or booster seat for their height and weight.

Downtown residential soil samples (in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.) found to contain industrial pollutants Posted: 29 Nov 2011 01:28 PM PST Engineers have collected soils in the residential areas of downtown Cedar Rapids and analyzed them for industrial pollutants known as PCBs and chlordanes. Measured values for both chemical groups were found to be similar to other urban/industrial sites around the world. Also, measured values were found to be of the same order of magnitude as the provisional threshold recommended by the US EPA to perform soil remediation.

Preclinical effectiveness of TB drug target validated Posted: 29 Nov 2011 12:15 PM PST Scientists evaluating new drug targets against tuberculosis recently validated the preclinical effectiveness of a target that could rapidly eliminate infections and potentially shorten treatment time. The new drug target is a protein called DNA gyrase B, found in bacteria that cause TB infections.

Making a light-harvesting antenna from scratch Posted: 29 Nov 2011 11:20 AM PST Scientists have succeeded in making a light-harvesting antenna from scratch. The new antenna, modeled on the chlorosome found in green bacteria, is a giant assembly of pigment molecules. Perhaps nature's most spectacular light-harvesting antennae, chlorosomes allow green bacteria to photosynthesize even in the dim light in ocean deeps.

Gene acts as a brake on breast cancer progression Posted: 29 Nov 2011 11:20 AM PST New research provides compelling new evidence that a gene known as 14-3-3sigma plays a critical role in halting breast cancer initiation and progression.

Gray matter in brain's control center linked to ability to process reward; Structure-function impairments observed in people addicted to cocaine Posted: 29 Nov 2011 10:11 AM PST The more gray matter you have in the decision-making, thought-processing part of your brain, the better your ability to evaluate rewards and consequences. A new study is the first to show this link between structure and function in healthy people -- and the impairment of both in people addicted to cocaine.

Madagascar dinosaur bone is most massive osteoderm ever found Posted: 29 Nov 2011 09:50 AM PST What more can we learn about long-necked dinosaurs that we don't already know? Researchers have found that Madagascar dinosaurs carried giant, hollow bones in their skin that may have helped them survive the harsh environments they inhabited. This discovery has shed new light on the anatomy and function of these bones in the biggest animals to ever walk on land.

Graphene lights up with new possibilities: Two-step technique makes graphene suitable for organic chemistry Posted: 29 Nov 2011 09:35 AM PST The future brightened for organic chemistry when researchers found a highly controllable way to attach organic molecules to pristine graphene, making the miracle material suitable for a range of new applications.

Genetic buzzer-beater genes may save fish Posted: 29 Nov 2011 09:35 AM PST Two distinct populations of rainbow trout -- one in Alaska, the other in Idaho -- share a genetic trait that could have huge implications for fisheries conservation and management, an eight-member research team reports.

E. coli bacteria engineered to eat switchgrass and make transportation fuels Posted: 29 Nov 2011 09:33 AM PST Strains of E. coli bacteria were engineered to digest switchgrass biomass and synthesize its sugars into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. The switchgrass, which is among the most highly touted of the potential feedstocks for advanced biofuels, was pre-treated with ionic liquid, a key to the success of this study.

'Skin bones' helped large dinosaurs survive, new study says Posted: 29 Nov 2011 09:33 AM PST Bones contained entirely within the skin of some of the largest dinosaurs on Earth might have stored vital minerals to help the massive creatures survive and bear their young in tough times, according to new research.

Seeking to be the 'perfect parent' not always good for new moms and dads Posted: 29 Nov 2011 09:33 AM PST Parents of newborns show poorer adjustment to their new role if they believe society expects them to be "perfect" moms and dads, a new study shows. Moms showed less confidence in their parenting abilities and dads felt more stress when they were more worried about what other people thought about their parenting skills.

Medical marijuana laws reduce traffic deaths, preliminary research suggests Posted: 29 Nov 2011 09:32 AM PST A new study shows that laws legalizing medical marijuana lead to fewer traffic deaths and less consumption of alcohol.

New thinking required on wildlife disease, experts say Posted: 29 Nov 2011 08:23 AM PST Scientist say much more could be done to predict the likelihood and spread of serious disease -- such as tuberculosis or foot-and-mouth disease -- in Australian wildlife and commercial stock.

Is there a central brain area for hearing melodies and speech cues? Still an open question Posted: 29 Nov 2011 08:23 AM PST Previous studies have suggested a particular hotspot in the brain might be responsible for perceiving pitch, but auditory neuroscientists are still debating whether this "pitch center" actually exists. A review article discusses a recent study claiming that this pitch center may not exist after all, or may not be located where previous research has suggested.

Imperfections may improve graphene sensors Posted: 29 Nov 2011 08:23 AM PST Although they found that graphene makes very good chemical sensors, researchers have discovered an unexpected "twist" -- that the sensors are better when the graphene is "worse" -- more imperfections improved performance.

'Look at that!' Ravens gesture with their beaks to point out objects to each other Posted: 29 Nov 2011 08:23 AM PST Pointing and holding up objects in order to attract attention has so far only been observed in humans and our closest living relatives, the great apes. Researchers now provide the first evidence that ravens (Corvus corax) also use so called deictic gestures in order to test the interest of a potential partner or to strengthen an already existing bond.

Lightning-made waves in Earth's atmosphere leak into space Posted: 29 Nov 2011 07:33 AM PST NASA's Vector Electric Field Instrument aboard the US Air Force's Communications/Navigation Outage Forecast System satellite has detected Schumann resonance from space. This comes as a surprise, since current models of Schumann resonance predict these waves should be caged at lower altitude, between the ground and a layer of Earth's atmosphere called the ionosphere.

Walnut trees may not be able to withstand climate change Posted: 29 Nov 2011 07:33 AM PST Warmer, drier summers and extreme weather events considered possible as the climate changes would be especially troublesome -- possibly fatal -- for walnut trees, according to researchers.

Honey bee mystery protein is a 'freight train' for health and lifespan Posted: 29 Nov 2011 06:24 AM PST Why are bee colonies worldwide suffering mysterious deaths? A unique study describes a single bee protein that can promote bee health and solve a major economic challenge.

Environment and diet leave their prints on the heart Posted: 29 Nov 2011 06:24 AM PST A new study, which set out to investigate DNA methylation in the human heart and the "missing link" between our lifestyle and our health, has now mapped the link in detail across the entire human genome.

Frequent 'heading' in soccer can lead to brain injury and cognitive impairment Posted: 29 Nov 2011 06:24 AM PST Using advanced imaging techniques and cognitive tests, researchers have shown that repeatedly heading a soccer ball increases the risk for brain injury.

The interplay of dancing electrons Posted: 29 Nov 2011 06:20 AM PST Negative ions play an important role in everything from how our bodies function to the structure of the universe. Scientists have now developed a new method that makes it possible to study how the electrons in negative ions interact in, which is important in, for example, superconductors and in radiocarbon dating.

New findings about unwanted fungal growth on dry-cured meat products Posted: 29 Nov 2011 06:20 AM PST The growth of yeast and mold fungus often poses a threat to the quality of dry-cured meat and is a problem facing producers all over the world. Fungal growth can lead to bad quality products, increased production costs and health issues in consumers.

Big success with tiny crystals Posted: 29 Nov 2011 06:13 AM PST A little piece of iron wire is magnetic – just like a huge iron rod. When it comes to material properties, size usually does not matter. Surprisingly, researchers from Austria and India have now discovered that some materials show very unusual behavior, when they are studied in the form of tiny crystals. This could now lead to new materials with tailor-made electronic and magnetic properties.

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